IRC operator

An IRC operator , or IRC-Op for short , is a person with special privileges in Internet Relay Chat . IRC-Ops perform operational tasks in the operation of an IRC server or IRC network . What these tasks are and what privileges an IRC-Op has, varies greatly from network to network. Often there are different types of IRC-Ops with different tasks and permissions.

Often occurring and common areas of responsibility are:

monitor compliance with the rules of the IRC network
resolve major differences between users
Take measures against user / IRC clients ( kill , K-Line , ...) that disrupt operations
establish connections between IRC servers if necessary

Identification of IRC ops

There are different ways to identify or find a user as an IRC-Op:

a direct whois query on a user using / whois < nickname >

In the response from the server there is a line like <Nickname> is an IRC Operator , if it is an IRC-Op.

Identification using a corresponding host mask, visible e.g. B. with a channel join
/ who 0 o (or: / stats p ) lists all visible IRC ops
in the MOTD , which can be called up with / motd , the IRC-Ops of the connected server are often mentioned

Nevertheless, an IRC-Op is sometimes not directly recognizable as such for various reasons, for example if it has not logged on to a server or has set a user mode that hides its status.

Award practice

The status of the IRC operator is assigned by the IRC admins of the respective server or the line of the IRC network. Although the allocation practice is regulated differently in the individual IRC networks, the following similarities can often be found:

IRC-Op privileges are not granted on request
The status is only given when required
The decisions about this are made by the administrators
Larger networks usually have bodies for the award