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On Mediawiki-based websites like Wikimedia sites (and a lot of others), there is a option to block users indefinitely, instead of temporarily.
This will be useful to ban users that violate Stack Exchange's site rules, and will be a replacement to long (5+ year) blocks if needed.
Also add an option to block the user's IP address to prevent new account registrations from the same person.
While regular suspensions have a maximum duration of 1 year, a network-wide suspension can last longer than that.
A network-wide suspension is applied to all network accounts of a user. It can only be issued by Stack Exchange employees and can be longer than 365 days.
Some users are banned for several years, some even until the 22nd century. That's pretty much 'indefinitely' in my book.
Also add option to block the user's IP address to prevent new account registrations from the same person.
There is already a system in place which detects this and the suspension on the old account automatically carries over to the new account.
If the account holder creates a new account to bypass the suspension, that account will also be automatically suspended for the same reason until the end time of the original suspension, even if the old account was deleted.
As far as I'm concerned, too many users are already walking on eggshells, fully aware that their next cooling off period, will probably last an entire year on MSE.
The site is already afflicted with uncertainty about its future, I see no benefit, for anyone, exacerbating the current air of uncertainty and mistrust by handing out indefinite suspensions. Imagine sentencing someone by saying “One day, you'll be allowed to come back but you won't know when.” Simply awful.
