Hello!
A new European Commission has been elected and is ready to get going. It is
the first time in this century that the European Parliament approved all
designated Commissioners. The majorities are floating, but the power of the
center right EPP Group and its leader, Manfred Weber, is at its peak.
Dimi & Michele
=== DSA Audits ===
The EU’s content moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA),
requires Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) to go through annual checks
and audits. As Wikipedia is a VLOP
<https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and…>,
the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) has published
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal:Wikimedia_Foundation_EU_Complia…>
its first annual DSA documents. They include:
-
An Audit Report by an external auditor assessing risks on the project
and how the provider deals with them. It also includes recommendations.
-
An Audit Implementation Report, laying out the WMF’s answers to the
recommendations.
-
A Systemic Risk Assessment and Mitigation (SRAM) Register. This is
basically a living document where the WMF identifies risks and keeps track
of mitigation measures.
—
Wikipedia, according to the documents, meets the obligations under the DSA,
albeit improvement recommendations are made. The systemic risk register
lists “disinformation” and “harassment” as immediate priorities with
corresponding mitigation measures.
—
Eventually the documentation from all VLOPs will be published by the
European Commission
<https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/very-large-online-platforms-a…>.
The Commission has the power to review and approve, ask for additional
information and use them for regulation purposes. To date, the Commission
has sent requests for additional information to all but one platform
designated as a VLOP from the first group, which is Wikipedia.
—
If you are curious, we can recommend further reading by the DSA Observatory
<https://dsa-observatory.eu/2024/11/22/the-wait-is-almost-over-first-risk-as…>.
There is also a folder where Algorithm Watch gathers the audit documentation
<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GRZq3BiQVUzVnXmrxbZyB9PqOtkChhxV>
published by various platforms.
=== New Commission ===
Last Wednesday, the European Parliament gave its confidence to the new
European Commission chaired by Ursula von der Leyen. 370 MEPs voted in
favour, 282 against and 36 abstained. This is the lowest majority that a
Commission has ever received. The new Commission will formally start on 1
December. But it is also the first time this century that no designated
Commissioner was refused confirmation.
—
Politically, the centre-right EPP is doing an excellent job in holding
everyone at arm's length and playing the further-right ECR Group (of
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni) against the Social Democrats, while ostracising the
Greens. Renew Europe (Liberals, Macron) is dreaming of playing the
kingmaker role again, but there are too many groups now that the EPP can
play ball with. The power in this term will squarely be with them.
—
As for the Commission structure
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PBiGBKn-SGket5FCW2mOYvVpPyPfkfo/view?usp=…>,
the new “all things digital” supremo is Finland's Henna Virkkunen. She will
oversee everything: DSA implementation, digital competition under the
Digital Markets Act, potential AI and copyright initiatives, as well as
child protection advances. Other relevant Commissioners for us are Irish
Michael McGrath, who will be responsible for justice and fundamental
rights, and Maltese Glenn Micaleff holding the culture portofolio.
=== Child Protection ===
Child protection online is a topic that will be on our minds for a while.
That ship is steaming!
—
Child protection organizations are - once again - calling on the EU
<https://www.iwf.org.uk/media/e1xb23yc/20241118_joint-letter-18-nov_pg-2.pdf>
to put the interests of children over the need to preserve encryption. The
reason for the letter is the controversial regulation on child sexual abuse
online (CSAM), which would demand messaging services to proactive scan all
message, and is deadlocked in the Council.
—
The French government is ramping up pressure on the EU to introduce an
EU-wide digital majority at 15. Education Minister Anne Genetet urged the
incoming Polish Council presidency to make this a priority. Danish Prime
Minister Mette Frederiksen is also asking for a 15 years age limit on
social media. President von der Leyen has hinted the new Commission might
run an EU-wide enquiry on the impact of social media on children’s health.
—
Meta - the Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram parent company - floated the
idea that app stores and operating systems should perform age verification,
where required. Naturally, Google and Apple were not amused.
—
Wikimedia is following this, as our projects are open and an obligation to
check users’ age would both restrict access and force the provider to
collect information about users. Should a EU-level regulation come, a lot
will depend on its scope and which platforms are targeted.
==== Polish Presidency ====
The incoming Polish Council Presidency
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/plpermrepeu/> wants to make “security”
its overarching theme and will look into seven categories of security:
external and military, energy, economic, food and climate, health and
information. We will keep an eye on the last one.
==== From the Blog ====
-
Platform Councils – How we control the power of platforms together
<https://wikimedia.brussels/guest-post-platform-councils-how-we-control-the-…>
-
Report on opportunities and threats for openness in a new technological
era
<https://wikimedia.brussels/report-on-opportunities-and-threats-for-openness…>
===END===
--
Wikimedia Europe ivzw
Dear all,
It's RightsCon time of year, and the deadline for you to join in and see
what Wikimedians are up to is fast approaching.
RightsCon <https://www.rightscon.org/program/#list>, organized by our close
allies, Access Now, is the world’s leading summit on human rights in the
digital age. This year it will take place from February 24 - 27, 2025, in
Taiwan. This is a fully hybrid conference. The deadline to register for a
'pay what you can' ticket for remote participation is *December 3*. Link to
register <https://www.rightscon.org/registration/>.
Wikimedians from around the globe join every year to connect with experts,
advocates, and peers tackling critical issues like inclusivity, free
expression, and privacy online. Our movement's contributions this year will
cover preserving cultural heritage in crisis, the Africa knowledge
initiative, protecting journalists and promoting information integrity. The
full list of Wikimedia sessions are below the line. Here are some other
remote sessions you could access:
- *How do we use Wikimedia and open-source technology to preserve
cultural heritage in crisis? *Host: Wikimedia Foundation | Wikimedia UK
| Wikimedia Georgia | Wikimedia Poland | Wikimedia Sverige | Wikimedia
Ukraine
- *Understanding aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’
experiences using Wikipedia on the continent of Australia.* Host:
Wikimedia Australia | Macquarie University
- *Local vs. Global: addressing inequalities in content moderation. *Host:
Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)
- *What does it take to make data exchange participatory? Developing a
governance framework.* Host: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- *Why keep documenting internet shutdowns? Experiences from Latin
America.* Host: Fundación Karisma | Digital Defenders Partnership
Whether you can join in person or online, your contributions matter. I
encourage you to seize this opportunity to learn what fascinating work may
be happening in your region, meet new partners, and join these important
discussions.
All the best,
Ziski
___
*WIKIMEDIA SESSIONS*
*From countering to building: finding the keys to promote information
integrity online. * Host: Wikimedia Foundation | Freedom Online Coalition |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Netherlands
*Intersectionality and sustainability in journalism: experiences from the
Global South* Host: Wikimedia Foundation | InternetLab
*Africa knowledge initiative: revolutionizing access to African indigenous
languages. *Host: Africa Knowledge Initiative (Ceslause Ogbonnaya)
*How do we use Wikimedia and open-source technology to preserve cultural
heritage in crisis? *Host: Wikimedia Foundation | Wikimedia UK | Wikimedia
Georgia | Wikimedia Poland | Wikimedia Sverige | Wikimedia Ukraine
*Understanding aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experiences
using Wikipedia on the continent of Australia.* Host: Wikimedia Australia |
Macquarie University
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone
Dear advocacy fans and friends,
Wikimedia UK is hosting a learning clinic tomorrow evening (Nov. 19) that
might interest you! It relates to the Changemakers' Toolkit
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Changemakers'_Toolkit>which we also used
in our last call about the GDC campaign.
*When: *Tuesday 19 November, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM UTC, online
*What: *Participants will explore the Changemakers' Toolkit and how it can
help you design campaigns to affect change - for matters related to public
policy or other types of advocacy.
*Register: *https://forms.gle/yXmcHnRZ6uFNBhto7
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2FyXmcHnRZ6uFNBhto7%…>
More details in the email copied below.
Best,
Ziski
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Richard Nevell <richard.nevell(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
Date: Fri, Nov 15, 2024 at 4:54 PM
Subject: [Wikimediauk-l] Let's Connect learning clinic on 19 November
To: UK Wikimedia mailing list <wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Hi everyone,
On Tuesday 19 November, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM UTC, Let's Connect is hosting
a learning clinic on the Changemakers Toolkit by Wikimedia UK
[image: 👉] What is this Learning Clinic for?
To provide participants with a foundational understanding of changemaking
and how it relates to their role as Wikimedians. Through this session,
participants will explore the power of campaigning and advocacy within the
Wikimedia movement and begin developing the skills necessary to drive
positive change in their communities.
[image: 👉] What do I need to prepare? [image: 🧠]
Bring an open mind and enthusiasm to learn about changemaking in the
Wikimedia context! Participants are encouraged to review the Wikimedia UK
Changemakers' Toolkit (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Changemakers'_Toolkit
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmeta.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCh…>)
and watch the explainer video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR6k6lO8Rag
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR6k6lO8Rag&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2uaM…>)
on the Social Change Grid developed by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation,
which will introduce key concepts and strategies for impactful campaigning
and advocacy.
[image: 👉] Registration link here (https://forms.gle/yXmcHnRZ6uFNBhto7
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2FyXmcHnRZ6uFNBhto7%…>
).
--
Dr Richard Nevell (he/him)
Programme Manager
<https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/>
Wikimedia UK <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>, and Twitter
<https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>,.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England and Wales No.1144513
and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.
Address: C/O Wikimedia UK; Level 4; Room 46018; 96 Euston Road London NW1
2DB
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