Wikipedia talk:Disclaimer

Disclaimer needed on main page?

RickK recently expressed concern that WP may be liable if someone followed a herbal remedy that had been posted and got poisoned.

I went to look at the disclaimer on the main page and was surprised to find that there isn't one - unless you count GNU Free Documentation License via Wikipedia:About

Should we have one? Anjouli 08:36, 27 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Anyone who takes a berbal remedy they find on the internet deserves to get poisoned. Adam 12:55, 28 Nov 2003 (UTC)

If this is really necessary, put one on the page with the herbal remedy. -- Viajero 10:27, 27 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I think that has already been done. I meant something more general to protect against future postings. Safer than trying to police everything and post warnings after the fact. Anjouli 10:58, 27 Nov 2003 (UTC)

We have Wikipedia:Content disclaimer, which IIRC correctly makes specific mention that we don't give medical or legical advice. There is also Wikipedia:General disclaimer. There was definitely discussion here on the pump about where these pages should be linked from... at the moment Wikipedia:About links to the content disclaimer but only in the context of us using rude words rather than medical/legal contexts. There was a chorus of disapproval about putting it in a prominent place on the main page (which happened for a couple of days). A less prominent place on that page would've been "consenus-ok" IIRC. However given that most visitors will "parachute in" to a particular article rather than visiting the main page whether much is gained by this, I don't know. Pete 11:20, 27 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Well I must admit I was specifically looking for a disclaimer and failed entirely to find Wikipedia:Content disclaimer, which must prove something - if only that I'm a silly old bat. My concern is protection of WP against malicious litigation which could wreck the whole thing.Are we unwisely exposed? Can somebody with legal qualifications please advise? Anjouli 11:52, 27 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I suppose a general disclaimer would have to apply not just to herbal remedies but to other potentially hazardous uses of Wiki information. For example, there was a (sort of) dislaimer on the nitroglycerin page, which read The making of nitroglycerin is obviously potentially very dangerous, because of the product's explosive nature. Do not attempt to make it yourself! - so I have now strengthened it by adding a link to Wikipedia:Risk disclaimer -- Gandalf61 16:07, Nov 27, 2003 (UTC)