Let’s start with the unpleasant: The war in Ukraine has of course made it
to the top of everyone’s agenda, as it should. Work on files still
continues, but the energy is different and we expect the pace to slow down.
At the same time, this war is being played out on online platforms and
certain aspects are being picked up by lawmakers when discussing their
regulation.
====================
DIGITAL SERVICES ACT
====================
The DSA is in trilogue, i.e. the three main EU bodies have adopted their
respective positions and are now trying to hammer out a common version. Our
main headache in the original proposal was the notion of automatic
assumption of “actual knowledge” of illegal content upon receipt of a user
notice. The fix to that seems uncontested. We are still waiting for news on
the definitions article, where the Parliament added a differentiation
between content moderation by the service provider and users. Something we
asked for and supported.
-
Else, the dark pattern prohibition proposed by the Parliament (designs that
nudge users to accept tracking) seems to be welcomed by Member States.
-
On a more general note, we are seeing the Russian Invasion starting to play
a role in discussions about content moderation. Lawmakers were called out
<https://twitter.com/Gary_Machado_/status/1497668398519656450> for having
proposed a “media exemption” which would prohibit online platforms from
interfering with media content. Something they are currently asked to do
to stem disinformation about the war. There is also some interest in how
Wikipedia handles such fast-developing news and events. We plan to reshape a
great Twitter thread <https://twitter.com/sdkb42/status/1497407518968012807>
into a blogpost for lawmakers, in order to explain community content
moderation better.
====================
Data Act
====================
Last week the European Commission presented its Data Act
<https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/83521> proposal. A
Regulation that is mainly focused on business to business data sharing and
portability, but that also includes a few elements we care about.
—
It empowers users to have access to data a service or device has produced
and be able to port it (articles 4&5), which is welcome. It also would allow
governments to access business data in extraordinary circumstances, like a
global pandemic (Chapter V). Safeguards and limitations need to be
waterproof here.
—
Most importantly, though, the Data Act also contains “a revision” of the sui
generis database right (SGDR). A copyright-like additional layer on
non-original databases that we would like to see abolished. In Chapter X
the Commission “clarifies” that these protections can’t apply to machine
generated data. We think that doesn’t go far enough
<https://wikimedia.brussels/data-act-a-small-step-for-databasees-an-even-sma…>
and are drafting an amendment
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KvvYz06hUCs2Z2u4HLFXKIQKfWSFjb-LmYWPaww…>
to get rid of a much larger chunk of unwanted SGDR protection. Our
umbrella association Communia is also organising a Salon on the SGDR
<https://vimeo.com/webinars/events/065f5169-9a7a-40a8-8f87-9dcaa37ae7f2> on
2 March.
====================
The Digital Markets Act
====================
The conversation about imposing an interoperability obligation on
gatekeepers is stuck. The Commission is “looking for evidence” from
messaging services that interoperability is actually needed, while smaller
providers are insecure about it as too many details are still unclear.
In the meantime, civil society (including us) circulated an open letter to
the Commission, the French Presidency and MEPs on involving users in
enforcement procedures
<https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/21/BEUC-X-2022-023-open-…>
.
====================
Artificial Intelligence Act
====================
The AI Act that is now being mulled over in a number of parliamentary
committees
<https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?refere…>
deals with three instances of AI use: prohibited, high-risk, and one that
requires special transparency. That last category includes instances of
individuals interacting with an AI-based bot, when emotion recognition or
biometric categorisation is required, or in the case of deep fakes. We
don’t think that any artificial intelligence tools Wikimedia editors and
staff currently use are covered by the new obligations, but as lawmakers
start editing the proposal we need to stay on top of changes. The
discussion around deep fakes is of particular interest to us, as Wikimedia
content can be used for their creation, but also such content could become
a misleading source of information.
====================
Online Political Advertising .
====================
Normally this regulation
<https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0731>
should only do what its name says: set clear rules on political
advertising, especially during electoral campaigns. However, the definition
of political advertising has us somewhat worried, so we are running an
extra check on it:
*Article 2.2*
‘political advertising’ means the preparation, placement, promotion,
publication or dissemination, by any means, of a message:
(a) by, for or on behalf of a political actor, unless it is of a purely
private or a purely commercial nature;
or
(b) which is liable to influence the outcome of an election or referendum,
a legislative or regulatory process or voting behaviour.
====================
Finland Copyright Reform
====================
The copyright reform in Finland was going rather well. User rights were
being enshrined and balanced exceptions drafted. But over the past months
collective management organisations (CMOs) in Finland have pushed very hard
and the lead civil servant was replaced essentially by a lobbyist hired as
a chief consultant to the Ministry. The Ministry has now redrafted the
document, but it refused to present the new version. Instead they just let
bits of information slip out. It seems like they are opting for a rewrite
that maximises CMO turnover and includes the bare minimum in terms of user
rights. For information on this Finnish drama we have only Finnish language
sources (ask a Finn or use deepl):
-
Electronic Frontier Finland complaint
<https://effi.org/lex-liedes-effi-kanteli-oikeuskanslerille/>
-
The presentation of the new version
<https://api.hankeikkuna.fi/asiakirjat/ea5be8e5-c718-4049-8836-5d7fa9589c18/…>
Hello everyone,
This is a friendly reminder that The Community Development team
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Calls> at the Wikimedia
Foundation is hosting our first ever community call on Wednesday, February
23, 2022 from 15:00 - 16:00 UTC on Zoom
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758?pwd=b1ZFNTMyaFdJRCtxbzIyaU13OWlmUT09>
[meeting link]
We want to thank those who have expressed interest in speaking during this
call, we had an overwhelming response. Unfortunately we were only able to
choose 3 speakers from the community. We will be sending invitations to
those who have been selected to participate in the meeting shortly. At this
time sign ups for speaking during the call has closed.
To join in the community call:
-
To attend the call, please find the link here
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758?pwd=b1ZFNTMyaFdJRCtxbzIyaU13OWlmUT09>
.
-
Please ensure you have zoom downloaded on your personal device prior to
the call.
We are excited to see and hear from you in our first ever Community
Development community call!
Thank you,
The Community Development team
Cassie Casares
Program Support Associate
Community Development
Wikimedia Foundation
ccasares(a)wikimedia.org
Hello everyone,
The Community Development team
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Development> at the Wikimedia
Foundation is hosting our first ever community call on February 23, 2022
from 15:00 - 16:00 UTC on Zoom <https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758>.
The purpose of the community call is to provide a space for volunteers to
meet the Community Development team. The five-person Community Development
team is responsible for developing accessible opportunities for volunteers
to grow critical capacities and leadership skills for movement
sustainability and growth. The community call is also a shared space for
all volunteers to hear or speak about projects related to capacity building
& leadership development in the Wikimedia community.
Our first call, Meet the Community Development Team will include a sign up
sheet
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIiyAlq7uKBp4eqmnbyVr9Zmi3LBjCQgZ…>for
those who would like to speak for 5-10 minutes about their
individual/community capacity building work.
If you would simply like to attend and listen, join the Zoom link at the
scheduled call time, please find the link here
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758>.
Although the primary language of the call is English, we are committed to
providing simultaneous translation to the best of our ability. Please use
the same sign up sheet
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIiyAlq7uKBp4eqmnbyVr9Zmi3LBjCQgZ…>
to indicate your language preference so that we can best accommodate
translation support as needed.
Some may be asking, what is capacity building and why is the Community
Development team supporting this work?
What is capacity building? Capacity building is any activity aimed at
developing a skill or capability in others; it can take many forms, ranging
from formal training through online self-study courses to individual
mentorship.
The “Invest in Skill and Leadership Development”
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recomme…>
recommendation of the 2030 Wikimedia Movement Strategy
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recomme…>encourages
movement-wide capacity building as a necessity to achieve our strategic
commitment to Knowledge Equity. Capacity building has the ability to
encourage diversity, redistribute and share resources, welcome newcomers
and grow communities.
Community Development is launching this series to ensure we can hear
directly from volunteers who are interested in or who already are leading
capacity building work in their communities. This is one one way we plan to
create a space for direct conversations with volunteers about the different
contexts, challenges, and opportunities in capacity building across the
movement.
How do our projects relate to capacity building and leadership development?
Our team's portfolio is a curation of online and offline learning programs
and resources that aim to enable skill development and resilience in the
movement.
Some of our recent capacity building projects include the Wikilearn Online
Learning Pilot
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Development/WikiLearn>, Board of
Trustees Candidate toolkit
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/Candidate_Re…>and
the 2021 Wikimania Speaker Series
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Development/What_we_do>.
In order for us to continue building relevant curricula and programming, we
need to hear from the Wikimedia movement. Please visit the Community
Development team page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Development> to learn more about
our capacity building and leadership development projects.
Key Dates:
-
First community call: February 23, 2022 from 15:00 - 16:00 UTC on Zoom
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758>
-
Sign up
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIiyAlq7uKBp4eqmnbyVr9Zmi3LBjCQgZ…>
to speak at the first community call. The application closes on February
February 14th, 2022.
To participate in the community call:
-
To attend the call, please find the link to the call here
<https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/84302371758>.
-
Please ensure you have zoom downloaded on your personal devicer.
-
Use the sign up sheet to confirm your interest to speak about your work
in capacity building here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIiyAlq7uKBp4eqmnbyVr9Zmi3LBjCQgZ…>
We are excited to see and hear from you in our call!
Thank you from the Community Development team
Cassie Casares
Program Support Associate
Community Development
Wikimedia Foundation
ccasares(a)wikimedia.org
Dear policy-interested friends,
Happy New Years (again!) and year of the Tiger - this time from the WMF Public Policy team!
At the start of this year we have fresh updates regarding the Human Rights Policy that the Foundation launched in December. As a refresher, here is the link to the Diff post about the policy:
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2021/12/09/what-the-wikimedia-foundations-new-hu…
Our two updates related to the Human Rights Policy are:
(1) The FAQ has been expanded and is now available in 8 languages. You can find it here: https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Human_Rights_Policy/Frequently…
(2) We are participating in the Conversation with the Trustees (formerly the Board office hour) event on February 17 at 18:30 UTC. Our team will share more about the Human Rights Policy and will answer any questions that community members have. This conversation will replace the conversation hours we had planned to host about the policy. For more information about the conversation and how to join, see this page: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Comm…
As always, if you have more questions about the Human Rights Policy or the Public Policy team, feel free to reach out to me, Ziski (Fputz(a)wikimedia.org).
We hope to see some of you there!
~~ Ziski & The Public Policy Team