On Sat, 11 Dec 2021 at 00:29, <rmackinnon(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
As I stated in the conversation hour [2], the
Foundation urgently needs such a policy in order to meet our responsibility to protect
members of our community from real, growing threats in the world. More governments are
increasingly aggressive about trying to control and manipulate information spaces,
including Wikimedia projects, and to threaten people who act to share knowledge, and
govern free knowledge projects independently of their governments’ requirements. At the
same time, as the Foundation globalizes and as the Movement works actively to increase
participation across the world, a growing percentage of people who we are bringing into
the projects are living in places where contributing to free knowledge projects is more
difficult or dangerous than it is for people in North America or Western Europe or other
places where the projects have the largest number of long-time volunteers. For this among
other reasons, we believe it is urgent to have a policy that clearly articulates the
Foundation’s responsibility to actively work to understand how our platforms and
operations affect the rights of everyone who interacts with the projects, how we will work
to mitigate threats and harms to members of the movement, and how we will work with people
across the Movement to implement these policies over the coming years. We don’t believe
that our responsibility to respect, protect and promote human rights is up for
negotiation.
You and who's army? If one of the world's more questionable
governments decides to target Wikipedians within its territory there's
not a thing you can do about about it. You’re not France. You can’t
threaten governments into submission (and if one of the most powerful
states on earth can’t get Zara Radcliffe out you certainly can’t).
You’re not a mineral extraction company. You don’t have mercenaries on
retainer to try and get your people out.
You policy is worse than useless. It doesn’t help at all but
marginally increases the risk of being involved with Wikipedia as what
can be seen as a harmless hobby writing about trains turns into being
involved with a human rights campaigning organisation.
--
geni