I think I was abused by a channel/IRC Operator. What can I do?

[guuchan]

Q: A channel operator just abused me by kicking/banning me/removing my operator status/etc. Can I report that person?
A: From the network's point of view, there is no such thing as "channel operator abuse". Channel operators can do whatever they deem fit in terms of channel moderation.

Q: Does that mean there is nothing I can do about it?
A: You can talk to the channel's founder. Please refer to this post.

Q: The founder ignores me/I talked to the founder but it did not get resolved/I believe it would be useless to talk to the founder. What more can I do?
A: Nothing. You might want to (and should if you are banned) just stay away from that channel. You can always find an alternative channel or create a new one yourself.

Q: Someone claims that (s)he is an IRC Operator. How can I check if (s)he is one?
A: Type this command:

/whois Someone

And if the messages returned contain the following line ({ } = optional):

Someone is an IRC Operator {- *****}

Then (s)he is an IRC Operator.

Q: Someone is an IRC Operator and claims that (s)he is going to do *something* to me. What can I do?
A: Unless you have broken our network's rule(s), you should not worry about it.

Q: I think an IRC Operator just abused me!
A: There is only one thing that the majority of IRC Operators (i.e. non-services staff) can do which will directly affect you, and that is /kill. If you did not get killed, it is most likely that no abuse has been involved.

Q: What is "non-services staff"? How many kinds of IRC Operators are there and what can they do?
A: There are roughly five levels of IRC Operators:

Non-Services Staff
Server Operator
How to tell?

• "/whois nick" shows: nick is an IRC Operator
• "/msg NickServ info nick" does not show: -NickServ- nick is a services *****

What can they do that might affect you?

• See users' IPs
• Issue /kill

Server Administrator
How to tell?

• "/whois nick" shows: nick is an IRC Operator - Server Administrator
• "/msg NickServ info nick" does not show: -NickServ- nick is a services *****

What can they do that might affect you?

• See +s channels that other users are in

Services Staff
Services Operator
How to tell?

• "/whois nick" shows: nick is an IRC Operator {- Server Administrator} ({ } = optional)
• "/msg NickServ info nick" shows: -NickServ- nick is a services operator.

What can they do that might affect you?

• See all the information of registered nicks (i.e. /msg NickServ info nick all)
• See all the information of registered channels (i.e. /msg ChanServ info #channel all)
• Set any mode on any channel
• Kick any user (with few exceptions) on any channel
• Suspend/Unsuspend nick/channel
• See what users are from a certain IP
• Add/Remove AKill (i.e. global K-line)
• Modify session limits
• Set/Unset vhost

Services Administrator
How to tell?

• "/whois nick" shows: nick is an IRC Operator {- Server Administrator} ({ } = optional)
• "/msg NickServ info nick" shows: -NickServ- nick is a services admin.

What can they do that might affect you? They include but not limited to:

• Modify any setting of any nick/channel
• Freeze/Defreeze nick/channel
• Forbid/Unforbid nick/channel
• Drop any nick or channel
• Add/Remove SGLINE/SQLINE/SZLINE
• Send global message to all users
• Make Services ignore nicks/hosts

Services Root Administrator/Network Administrator
How to tell?

• "/whois nick" shows: nick is an IRC Operator - Network Administrator
• "/msg NickServ info nick" shows: -NickServ- nick is a services root administrator.

What can they do that might affect you?

• Too many to list. Basically things you can and can't imagine

Q: After reading through all the Q&As above, I believe I was abused by an IRC Operator. What can I do?
A: If you are banned from the network, submit a ticket at http://abuse.rizon.net; if you are on the network, report your case in #abuse (not #help or #services).

Q: I am told that I was not abused but I still think I was!
A: You are starting to imagine things. You might want to leave your computer for a while and get some fresh air outside.