Wikimedia Foundation: Difference between revisions
Add a couple of recent incidents involving censorship of Wikipedia |
add details on consumer impact summary and censorship of wikipedia article |
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==Consumer-impact summary== | ==Consumer-impact summary== | ||
The Wikimedia Foundation is generally pro-consumer and privacy first, despite having some notable incidents. | The Wikimedia Foundation is generally pro-consumer and privacy first, despite having some notable incidents. | ||
Various courts have successfully sued the company into censoring certain articles. These articles have a warning notice when viewed from Wikipedia so you at least know you aren't getting what you want. | |||
* '''User freedom''': Open source project | |||
* '''User privacy''': Accounts are private, no known data breaches | |||
* '''Business model''': Funding entirely through donations, including corporate donations | |||
* '''Market competition:''' Some, including Encyclopedia Britannica. | |||
==Incidents== | ==Incidents== | ||
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The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) sued the United Kingdom to prevent them from forcing age checks on their websites. The WMF made a statement that being forced to comply with this act would compromise the privacy of its editors and the neutrality of the encyclopedia. On August 11, 2025, the London High Court denied the WMF's reasoning, but didn't necessarily force age checks for the website.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro |first=Chiara |date=August 12, 2025 |title=Case dismissed – Wikipedia loses UK Online Safety Act legal challenge, but it may still be safe from age checks |url=https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/case-dismissed-wikipedia-loses-uk-online-safety-act-legal-challenge-but-it-may-still-be-safe-from-age-checks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 August 2025 |title=Wikimedia Foundation Challenges UK Online Safety Act Regulations |url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/08/11/wikimedia-foundation-challenges-uk-online-safety-act-regulations/}}</ref> | The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) sued the United Kingdom to prevent them from forcing age checks on their websites. The WMF made a statement that being forced to comply with this act would compromise the privacy of its editors and the neutrality of the encyclopedia. On August 11, 2025, the London High Court denied the WMF's reasoning, but didn't necessarily force age checks for the website.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro |first=Chiara |date=August 12, 2025 |title=Case dismissed – Wikipedia loses UK Online Safety Act legal challenge, but it may still be safe from age checks |url=https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/case-dismissed-wikipedia-loses-uk-online-safety-act-legal-challenge-but-it-may-still-be-safe-from-age-checks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 August 2025 |title=Wikimedia Foundation Challenges UK Online Safety Act Regulations |url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/08/11/wikimedia-foundation-challenges-uk-online-safety-act-regulations/}}</ref> | ||
=== ''Asian News International vs. Wikimedia Foundation'' (2024-present) === | ===''Asian News International vs. Wikimedia Foundation'' (2024-present)=== | ||
The news agency [[Asian News International]] sued the Wikimedia Foundation in July 2024 in India. They alleged defamation and forced the WMF to censor its "''Asian News International vs. Wikimedia Foundation''" article from October 2024 until May 2025 upon appeal by the WMF.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Drawing a line in the sand: SC judgment reaffirms right to free speech |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/free-speech-freedom-of-expresion-wikipedia-case-9997614/lite/}}</ref> | The news agency [[Asian News International]] sued the Wikimedia Foundation in July 2024 in India. They alleged defamation and forced the WMF to censor its "''Asian News International vs. Wikimedia Foundation''" article from October 2024 until May 2025 upon appeal by the WMF.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Drawing a line in the sand: SC judgment reaffirms right to free speech |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/free-speech-freedom-of-expresion-wikipedia-case-9997614/lite/}}</ref> | ||
=== Caesar DePaço lawsuit (2021-present) === | |||
Portuguese businessman Caesar DePaço sued the Wikimedia Foundation in 2021 demanding removal of certain information in the Wikipedia article about him. In August 2025 the WMF complied with the decision by the Portuguese court and partially censored the article. Today, this article is censored and unable to be in compliance with Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View guideline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wikipedia Fighting Overseas SLAPP Suit Because Someone Didn’t Like The Factual Info Posted About Them |url=https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/04/wikipedia-fighting-overseas-slapp-suit-because-someone-didnt-like-the-factual-info-posted-about-them/}}</ref><ref name="WMF announcement 2025-08-04">{{Cite web |date=4 August 2025 |title=Office action: Removals on the article Caesar DePaço |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Village_pump_(WMF)&oldid=1304256365#Office_action:_Removals_on_the_article_Caesar_DePa%C3%A7o |website=[[English Wikipedia]]}}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||