What’s going on here?
Edit:
With Jimmy Wales’ assent, the WMF removed and locked the page. As unhappy as Wikipedians were about it, blocking content can be temporary. If the Foundation reveals these editors’ identities, this is a decision it can never reverse.
Guess I’ll be watching this one closely.
Jimbo’s justification is that if they don’t do this to the page, they’ll completely lose their chance of arguing in court, and 1. they can always restore it if the court orders something they decide not to do 2. the contents of the article are already archived all over the internet
In a recent court proceeding, WMF’s legal team offered a supposed middle path, proposing it take the unusual step of serving summons to the editors itself, thereby revealing their identities only to the court, not the wider public. Wikipedians, however, do not see this as a compromise—it’s capitulation. Last week, Wikipedia editors published an open letter to the Foundation, urging it to protect its volunteers’ privacy regardless of the outcome. It reads in part
only to the court, not the wider public
Would this really be that much better? Once the information is out, it’s impossible to hide again
And the consequences would not end with this case. Compliance may discourage contributions from editors worldwide, not just those under authoritarian rule. WMF submission could encourage other governments to make similar demands, putting Wikipedia in an untenable position and reducing its influence where free knowledge is needed most
This bit also seemed important
Wikipedia has plenty of experience being blocked in the world’s largest country, which was the case until India’s population surpassed China’s in April 2023. If India takes the most drastic step, the Foundation can stand proud in its resolve.
Sounds easy enough to me.
You can edit wikipedia fully privately, if you live in a similar jurisdiction. There are some limitations on Tor, but from these articles it sounds like it’s possible to work it around:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Advice_to_users_using_Tor
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Open_proxies
It’s not super easy, but it doesn’t sound like some insurmountable obstacle.
Doesn’t apply in this case, it’s about a decision that is still pending
i’m being sold out!? :(
Well I never
It’s likely that the editors and principles have been betrayed by this point and thus Encycla and ibis.wiki should be the places we can flock to.
What are the differences in those sites’ governance which would immunize them from a similar legal attack by the BJP?
They probably don’t have half the legal staff of Wikipedia.
First time I’m hearing about either of these which is going to be a problem.
I hadn’t either but tbf most people hadn’t heard of the fediverse until that Reddit thing. In this case the entirety of Wikipedia could along with an exodus, should one be warranted
Most people still haven’t heard of the fediverse. We’re in a tiny bubble here, an insignificant fraction standing disconnected from the vast majority of the population.
Who actually uses those sites
