Wikipedia Italian strike

Wikipedia Italian strike

Instead of the articles written by volunteers get readers to read only the Italian Wikipedia still an opinion, in which the authors warn about to pass a new law that is currently being debated in the Italian Parliament. "There is a risk that the Italian-speaking Wikipedia can no longer useful service that could be expected to provide the reader so far," says the statement.


Logo of the protest group on Facebook in particular a proposed requirement for website owners to have to remove unpopular within 48 hours of information without judicial authority, meets with indignation. Wikipedians see her volunteer project at risk. Whether Wikipedia really would be affected by the new law is unclear, since the U.S. foundation as the operator is not subject to Italian laws. Nevertheless, Wikipedia administrators feared reprisals. Thus at present run a lawsuit against Wikimedia Italy, although the national organization plays no formal role in the operation of the online encyclopedia. Against Wikimedia Germany has complained several times.

The vote for total ban was pulled in less than a day, less than 50 Wikipedians voted on the request, before administrators joined the online encyclopedia. The Wikimedia Foundation that operates the Wikipedia servers from the U.S. was not involved in the decision. How long the protest will be is still unclear. In a Facebook group have now logged over 150,000 supporters.

The U.S. foundation supports the protest of the Italians: "This law would hinder the work of projects like Wikipedia," spokesman Jay Walsh Wikimedia declared on request from heise online. Moreover, the possibility to say his opinion on the Internet and participate in a democratic debate, threatened by the proposed law. On the mailing list of the Wikimedia Foundation, there were also critics who call the action as an exaggeration. Wikimedia Director Sue Gardner turned relatively quickly after the initiators of the protest, describing the occurrence as "a good community process."

This review is for the Wikimedia Foundation is not itself a problem - but even you are currently several such community protests in the house. Thus, the German community has objected in a clear opinion adopted by the introduction of the Wikimedia Foundation, filter against controversial images. Wikipedia in other European communities to stimulate resistance. Wikimedia How will resolve this conflict should be resolved in the coming days.

[Update: The German-language Wikipedia supported the strike by Italian colleagues. A declaration of solidarity was previously 164 signatories.]