With the changes in privacy laws and regulations (for example, the General Data Protection Regulation and the global debate this has sparked), the Wikimedia Foundation's legal team has decided to protect users' private data by masking IP addresses from general public view. Only those fighting spam, vandalism, harassment and misinformation will have access to IP addresses of not logged-in users. Temporary accounts for unregistered editors will be a new type of user account. It will work slightly differently than the current "IP users". This will impact newbies, mentors, admins, patrollers, event organizers, and other groups in the movement.

This change is so profound and impactful that all communities in all regions need to be very well informed. Depending on the audience, we could focus on the basics of the project, or on functionaries' or organizers' perspectives.