Dear all,
I am thrilled to share news of the launch of the *first issue*
<https://mailchi.mp/wikimedia/global-advocacy-newsletter-nov-2023> of the
new WMF Global Advocacy newsletter. You can sign up to receive future
newsletters at *this link*
<https://mailchi.mp/wikimedia/global-advocacy-policy-newsletter>.
This project is inspired by our desire to share the Wikimedia Foundation's
unique policy perspectives on pressing tech regulation issues with public
audiences, including policymakers, Wikimedians, and free knowledge
advocates. Our goal is to help these interested groups better understand
how we think about the internet and digital rights, and how laws and
regulations can and should be shaped to not only protect public interest
and community-led online spaces, like Wikimedia projects, but also to help
them flourish.
The newsletter will be emailed quarterly. Please feel free to share
the subscription
link <https://mailchi.mp/wikimedia/global-advocacy-policy-newsletter> with
your networks.
Happy reading!
Ziski
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone
Dear all,
I hope this message finds you well.
As indicated in our recent Diff announcement (see below), we are excited to
share news about the inaugural global Wiki Advocacy meet-up, a gathering
designed for Wikimedians actively involved in advocacy and public policy
initiatives to share, learn and discuss common challenges. This event aims
to promote and safeguard the Wikimedia model, emphasizing its crucial role
in ensuring access to relevant online information. Leveraging the upcoming
UNESCO World Press Freedom Day, scheduled to be hosted in Chile in May next
year, Wikimedia Chile is honored to organize this gathering which will take
place as a side event of UNESCO's conference on *May 3rd and 4th, 2024*, in
Santiago, Chile.
Given the specialized nature of this topic and the hands-on approach we
intend to have, we will have limited availability of seats for the event.
Consequently, we extend a cordial invitation to you to participate.
To secure your spot, we kindly request you to complete the application form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3a68QldZdEBczmd41wY_-xCFgog3Yq4J…>
by *December 22, 2023*, by the close of business in your respective time
zone. To further facilitate participation, we are pleased to announce the
availability of *20 full scholarships for Wikimedia representatives* and 5
partial scholarships for participants hailing from beyond the Wikimedia
movement.
Your active involvement in this significant initiative will undoubtedly
contribute to the success of the event, fostering meaningful discussions
and collaborations within the Wikimedia community.
We're looking forward to having you join us in the coming year.
Warm regards,
---------- Forwarded message ---------
De: Diff <donotreply(a)wordpress.com>
Date: lun, 27 nov 2023 a las 9:37
Subject: [New post] 1st Global Wiki Advocacy Meet Up in Santiago, Chile:
Announcing the application process
To: <catalina.frigerio(a)wikimediachile.cl>
[image: Site logo image] Mimartinez WMCL posted: " “Strengthening the
Wikimedia Voice in Public Policy” will be the first global Wiki Advocacy
meet-up for Wikimedians who conduct advocacy and public policy activities
to protect and promote the Wikimedia model. The meeting will take place on
May 3rd a" Diff <https://diff.wikimedia.org> 1st Global Wiki Advocacy Meet
Up in Santiago, Chile: Announcing the application process
<https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…>
Mimartinez WMCL
Nov 27
- *“Strengthening the Wikimedia Voice in Public Policy” *will be the
first global Wiki Advocacy meet-up for Wikimedians who conduct advocacy and
public policy activities to protect and promote the Wikimedia model.
- The meeting will take place on *May 3rd and 4th, 2024 in Santiago,
Chile*.
- Application and scholarship process are open from *November 27 to
December 22,* end of day anywhere on Earth.
In May 2024 Chile will host the Unesco World Press Freedom Day
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=54ac62399e05589…>
with a conference that will reunite regional and global governments,
academics and researchers, and civil society representatives. The aim of
the conference is to discuss the future of freedom of press and the access
to information in a shifting world full of new challenges like a rapidly
changing informational ecosystem crossed by new content platforms and
technologies.
Wikimedia Chile will use this unique opportunity to host *“Strengthening
the Wikimedia Voice in Public Policy”,* the first global Wiki Advocacy
meet-up for* Wikimedians who conduct advocacy and public policy activities
to promote and protect the Wikimedia model and its role in assuring access
to relevant online information.* The meeting will be a side event of the
Unesco conference, and will take place on *May 3rd and 4th, 2024 in
Santiago, Chile*.
*Application process now open*
Knowing this is a very specific topic and that the meeting will have a
practical approach (with several workshops and collective exercises) *we
will have limited seats for it*. If you want to participate, *please
complete the **application form*
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=45c7f693cfd5fdd…>*
by December 22, 2023, at the end of the day in your country.*
If you have any doubts about the questions to be completed in the
application, please refer to the FAQ section
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=37372b304805b77…>
of our Meta
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=0427288db83aa04…>
page. *Using the application form will be mandatory for all those who are
interested in participating. *
People coming from other open knowledge or digital rights ecosystem
organizations that share values with the Wikimedia movement are also
encouraged to apply.
*Scholarships*
To ensure participants' diversity and global representation we will grant *20
full scholarships to Wikimedia representatives *and 5 partial scholarships
for participants coming from outside the Wikimedia movement.
The scholarship application is also open through the general application
form
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=45c7f693cfd5fdd…>
.
*Important dates*
- Applications open: November 27 – December 22
- Communication of applications and scholarship decisions: January 2024
- Travel logistics: January – March 2024
- Pre-conference online workshops: January- April 2024
- Meeting will take place on May 3rd and May 4th
*About the meeting*
The ongoing changes in regulations concerning the Internet will continue to
affect Wikimedia projects. This first Global Wiki Advocacy Meeting aims to
underscore the increasingly crucial role of Wikimedia affiliates in shaping
public policy and supporting free access to knowledge in digital
enviroments.
Between September and October 2023, Wikimedia Chile circulated a Conference
Engagement Survey
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=184ef53c472d1aa…>among
the Wikimedia community, which was answered by *more than 100 people around
the world.* Based on those responses, the main objectives of this meeting
are:
· identify strategies and tactics to face the challenges posed by Internet
regulatory developments that have been identified as relevant around the
world for the Wikimedia movement.
· improving advocacy capacity building and knowledge sharing among
Wikimedians.
· Strengthen the network of Wikimedians interested in advocacy and public
policies.
These topics and conversations will be conducted hosted by Wikimedia Chile
with the support of the WMF Global Advocacy Team.
“The people who lead these projects are best placed to advocate for the
needs of the Wikimedia community in their own countries and to partner with
the Foundation to promote *Wikimedia’s unique vision of a public
interest-focused Internet where decentralized community-led governance and
content moderation models can thrive*. The Chile workshop is an important
step in coordinating the public policy advocacy work of affiliates and the
Foundation", said Franziska ("Ziski") Putz, Senior Movement Advocacy
Manager in the Wikimedia Foundation.
*Learn more*
To stay updated on the Conference and know more about scholarships and the
application process, we recommend that you visit the Conference page
<http://diff.wikimedia.org?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=0427288db83aa04…>
on Meta. *The main language of the Conference will be English*.
Unfortunately, we will not have live translation.
*If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free
to reach out to us (in English or Spanish) at:** contacto(a)wikimediachile.cl
<contacto(a)wikimediachile.cl>*
Comment
<https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…>
------------------------------
Manage
<https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…>
your email settings or unsubscribe.
Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/11/27/1st-global-wiki-advocacy-meet-up-in-s…
[image: WordPress.com and Jetpack Logos]
Get the Jetpack app to use Reader anywhere, anytime
Follow your favorite sites, save posts to read later, and get real-time
notifications for likes and comments.
[image: Download Jetpack on Google Play] [image: Download Jetpack from the
App Store]
<https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1565481562?pt=299112&ct=new-post&m…>
[image: WordPress.com on Twitter] <https://twitter.com/wordpressdotcom> [image:
WordPress.com on Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/WordPresscom> [image:
WordPress.com on Instagram]
<https://www.instagram.com/wordpressdotcom/> [image:
WordPress.com on YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/c/WordPressdotcom>
[image: WordPress.com Logo and Wordmark title=]
<https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…>
Automattic, Inc. - 60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110
Hello, everybody!
This month we will give you a more in-depth view of fewer files. In
particular the Political Advertising Regulation seems to be reaching the
finishing line. The AI Act, on the other hand, looks stuck.
Dimi & Michele
=== Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising ===
The proposed regulation
<https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0731>
aims at regulating political advertising services with a focus on targeting
and amplification techniques. The state goal is making them more
transparent and thus contributing to the proper functioning of the internal
market for those services. The last trilogue meeting (the de facto final
stage of the legislative deliberations) took place on 6 Novmber and
lawmakers, under the guidance of the Spanish Presidency, managed to reach a
political deal.
—
The final agreement solves the thorny issue of defining political
advertising by introducing a remuneration element and encompassing in house
activities as well as political campaigns. Nonetheless, the new definition
leaves room for a broad interpretation, especially concerning in house
activities. Some civil society organisations are worried that their regular
advocacy activities might get caught in the crossfire. At Wikimedia Europe
we followed this debate to ensure that no definition of political
advertising would cover Wikipedia articles about politicians and parties,
for instance.
—
A ban for non-EU advertisers has been introduced, in the last three months
preceding an election or referendum, be it at EU, national, regional or
local level.
—
With regard to the possibility to use special categories of personal data
to profile people and deliver targeted messages, legislators introduced a
specific prohibition. The latter applies also to inferred data, thus
offering a proper protection. At Wikimedia Europe we expressed support to
ban the use of targeted advertising based on sensitive data. During the
deliberations some Member States wanted to explicitly allow this for
political campaigns, although this has been prohibited by the Digital
Services Act just a few months earlier.
—
The new rules will enter into application after 18 months from the adoption
of the regulation. This practically means that they will not be in place
for the future EU elections foreseen in June 2024.
—
Technical meetings are still taking place to translate the political deal
into a coherent (more or less) legislative text and fine tune the details:
the deadline was the 28th of November. Once the final text is agreed, both
Parliament and Council will vote on it (and lawyer linguists translate it).
The vote is then followed by the signature and the publication into the
Official Journal. The adoption is likely to take place in December or at
worst in January 2024.
=== AI Act ===
The Artificial Intelligence Act
<https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?refere…>’s
trilogue negotiations, where the Council and the Parliament are supposed to
hash out a final version of the text, are at a standstill. The drama
reached new heights as parliamentary staffers walked out of a meeting with
government representatives of the Council and European Commission officials
a few days ago.
—
The latest rift is about foundation models (“general purpose AI”). Those
are systems like chatGPT that do not have a specific task and are hard to
pin down in legislation. They weren’t specifically mentioned in the
Commission proposal and were added to the debate by the European
Parliament, which is suggesting to have binding rules on them. At the same
time the Council, led by Germany, France and Italy, is insisting on
sticking to the original plan
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S_WJ2mWjbFL1GM173tYFuWzc_MDTHUr5/view?usp=…>
of a risk-based approach. This would mean that foundational models would
have to comply with obligations if they are deemed “high-risk”. Another
point of contention is how reliable the risk assessments will be, as they
are currently self-assessments by the developers.
—
The Spanish Presidency of the Council is trying to find a middle ground
here, but has been told by the Council’s “big three” that on such a
fundamental issue a decision simply needs to be made and a compromise is
not possible.
—
Wikimedia projects wouldn’t be deemed “high-risk” under the current version
and Wikimedia doesn’t develop foundational models, so we are currently in
the role of a participant in the conversation, but don’t expect direct &
immediate effects.
=== Copyright Agenda-Setting ===
While the next legislative term is unlikely to see an outright copyright
reform, we still expect some legislative files related to intellectual
property to be tackled. Possible topics include orphan works, geoblocking,
database rights, live broadcasts of sports events and the market balance
between music streaming platforms and rights holders.
—
With this in mind it is noteworthy that the European Parliament’s Culture
Committee (CULT) adopted a non-binding, own-initiative report on cultural
diversity and the conditions for authors in the music streaming market
<https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CULT-PR-750068_EN.pdf>. The
final text asks for a better allocation of revenues and more transparency.
It also vaguely points to risks to intellectual property and the music
industry stemming from artificial intelligence.
—
The report calls on the European Commission to analyse the
“discoverability” of European music online. While there is nothing binding
here and this report could end up without any follow-up, it will surely be
used by interested stakeholders to demand legislative proposals from the
European Commission.
—
Another EP committee, on Legal Affairs (JURI), commissioned and published a
study titled Buyout contracts imposed by platforms in the cultural and
creative sector
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k-aab1uM5P57lZPT9sc880ltIdNw2YrB/view?usp=…>.
The study concludes that EU law needs to be changed in order to ensure
artists rights for fair remuneration. Not surprisingly the study is being
used by GESAC, the umbrella for organisations collecting royalties on
behalf of authors, to ask for reforms.
—
On another own-initiative front, the Internal Market Committee (IMCO) voted
recently to call on the Commission to remove the exemption that allows
audiovisual content to continue to be geoblocked across EU countries. This
would mean any content or service to be available everywhere in the EU. The
audiovisual sector is, naturally, not amused and is fighting this is
plenary.
=== END ===
--
Wikimedia Europe ivzw