Wikipedia:There's a reason you don't know

Certain things on Wikipedia happen with little or no explanation. These include suppressions, checkuser blocks, many revision deletions, many actions of the Arbitration Committee, and actions of private edit filters. Because most actions are logged publicly on Wikipedia, and their rationales well-documented, some users may get upset that they don't know why these things happen.

But things are only obscured for a small number of reasons. Sometimes they concern private information that, for legal reasons, only certain users can access. Sometimes excessive detail would help bad actors do more bad things or reward malfeasance with attention. And sometimes it's for the best interests of the editors affected, such as minors or editors who have experienced recent harassment. If you don't know why something happened, there's probably a reason. And it's probably a good reason. And by butting in without knowing full context, you might help bad actors such as vandals or long-term abusers with their aims or, in case of oversighted content, cause serious harm.

If you have concerns about the reasoning for something, there are procedures for questioning a decision without publicizing private information. Do not instantly leap to the conclusion of admin abuse. Assume Good Faith applies to opaque actions too. If, say, an admin blocked someone without stating a reason, and this concerns you, usually the best course of action will be to email them and politely ask why. If you are unable to resolve your concerns this way, the Arbitration Committee is empowered to resolve any disputes involving private evidence. On a global level, the Ombuds commission also can hear complaints involving alleged misuse of checkuser and oversight privileges.

See also

• Wikipedia:Don't stuff beans up your nose