Hi all,
Traditionally this monitoring report, along with most of Europe, doesn’t
show up in August. But we have had some major developments on child
verification, so we thought we’d do a quick & dirty version to get the
rentrée (the period in September when Europeans start working again) going.
Dimi & Michele
=== Age Verification: France ===
France's Constitutional Court struck down
<https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2026/08/14/france-s-constitutional…>
the social media ban for under-15s on 14 August, ruling that the law
disproportionately restricted minors' freedom of information and
expression. Notably, the Court explicitly acknowledged the encyclopaedia
and knowledge platform exemption in the law — but found that the exemption
did not go far enough to save the overall measure. The government has said
it will rework the bill, but it is doubtful they will have time considering
the looming elections. The ruling matters well beyond France: it is based
on fundamental rights that are harmonised across the EU. We can confirm
that is already reshaping how bureaucrats and decision makers in Brussels
are thinking about what a legally defensible age restriction mechanism
needs to look like.
=== Age Verification: Brussels ===
We are now waiting for von der Leyen's State of the EU address on 16
September, during which an announcement on social media restrictions is
expected. From what we are hearing, parental opt-out mechanisms, risk-based
approaches and different age limits are still being discussed. Nothing
seems locked in yet.
=== Age Verification: Spain, Austria, Greece, Netherlands ===
Spain, Austria and Greece are all advancing their own proposals. Austria is
in the early stages, it has notified its draft law
<https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notificatio…>
to the Commission under the TRIS procedure. Spain's Proyecto de Ley Orgánica
<https://www.congreso.es/public_oficiales/L15/CONG/BOCG/A/BOCG-15-A-52-1.PDF>
is advancing through the Congreso. Greece has enacted a law weeks ago that
will introduce age verification from 1 January 2027. But the final text is
so unclear that the government is currently working on revising it. We are
actively monitoring all three, jointly with local communities where
possible. We will get active where we see a risk of scope creep. Currently
our projects don't seem to be covered.
The Dutch government is in the meantime explicitly advocating a risk-based
approach and plans to share proposals with the Commission in early
September. This is very welcome, as a risk-based approach is an argument we
are using with lawmakers.
=== Digital Omnibus ===
All 1,840 amendments to the Digital Omnibus have now been published. On the
data protection side, the two lead rapporteurs — Kaljurand (S&D) and Salla
(EPP) — have staked out different positions on some important questions,
including whether to change the GDPR's definition of personal data, how to
handle cookies, and whether legitimate interest can serve as a legal basis
for AI training on personal data. These questions do look like a re-scoping
of fundamental rights
<https://wikimedia.brussels/editorial-wmeu-on-the-digital-omnibus-the-russme…>,
not a simplification measure though. They will be divisive and decisive for
the compromises.
On saving standard licences for open government data, we are pleased to
report that our amendments are all in
<https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CJ72-AM-791072_EN.pdf>. The
amendments would delete the provision introducing actor-specific
differentiated licensing, restore the original language encouraging
standard licences, and fix the term of exclusive digitisation agreements.
This is the issue we flagged earlier this year alongside Communia, Creative
Commons,and many, many others
<https://communia-association.org/2026/07/06/open-letter-protect-open-standa…>.
We will be reaching out to ask for your support as the compromise process
gets underway.
=== CADA Proposal ===
The Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA)
<https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/communication-european-tec…>
is the Commission's proposal to create a sovereignty framework for public
procurement of cloud and AI services, with four assurance levels depending
on how sensitive the use case is. It is not a priority file for us — its
focus is on cloud infrastructure procurement, not open knowledge platforms.
However, one provision is worth flagging: to reach the highest sovereignty
tier (level 4), providers must demonstrate that no entity established
outside the EU holds effective control over the software components they
use.This is probably impossible for MediaWiki or any other open source
project to fulfill. In practice that could mean that MediaWiki could not be
procured for military and intelligence applications as well as nuclear
facilities. A real shame! But the question about “effective control” and
open source software should be seriously discussed during negotiations.
===END===
--
Wikimedia Europe ivzw
Dear friends,
I hope those of you at Wikimania have had a chance to recover. The message
below contains recaps and resources from policy discussions at Wikimania,
as well as updates from some of you and the WMF Global Advocacy team.
In this edition we’re trialing a new section that highlights trends at the
international internet governance level. Thanks to @Sophia Longwe
<sophia.longwe(a)wikimedia.de> from WMDE for these details.
If you're curious what the WMF team has been up to in the past few months?
We’ve conveniently documented everything in this recap
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/31/dont-blink-protecting-the-wikimedia-m…>.
Highlights include: UN Open Source Week; DRAPAC in the Philippines;
protecting anonymity online.
Once again, settle in with your favourite cuppa...☕🍰
Watch this space
Quick things to be aware of:
1.
Coming soon! Comprehensive resource that compiles all key messages to
explain Wikimedia’s value to policy makers. So you can talk, talk, talk.
2.
WMF team is transitioning to a highly prioritized remit of policy
priorities for this fiscal year. Updates will be shared out shortly
including opportunities for discussion.
3.
Ziski and Noah are working on the final adjustments in response to the
feedback we received from our survey (feels like ages ago) related to how
this group wishes to engage on calls, collaborate, and communicate.
4.
Updates related to refreshed priorities as well as communication
structures will be reflected on the GA Meta-Wiki as well as via this
mailing list.
Public Policy @ Wikimania
Public policy was a core theme at this Wikimania. Top of mind? AI and large
scale content reuse. Online safety, specifically of young people. Information
integrity and safeguarding reliable sources. You can review the
policy-related sessions in this blog post
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/20/understand-the-forces-shaping-free-kn…>
.
Day Zero Advocacy Workshop dove into how to work with external partners
(particularly institutions like the UN that can support advocacy efforts),
as well as two ongoing examples of copyright reform campaigns that are
active in Brazil and Nigeria, not to mention CC's global campaign ( @Dee
Harris <dee(a)creativecommons.org> ).
📚 All resources including the slide deck have been added to the workshop
meta-wiki page
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Wikimania/Day_Zero_Advocacy_Works…>.
Don’t miss:
-
WM Brazil’s report
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Licen%C3%A7as_Livres_no_Governo_F…>
about their copyright reform work, as well as that of Free Knowledge
Africa in Nigeria
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ADVANCING_OPEN_KNOWLEDGE_UNDER_TH…>.
TY @Marília Rocha <marilia.rocha(a)wmnobrasil.org> & @Olubusola Afolabi
<olubusola(a)freeknowledgeafrica.org>
-
Learning more about Open Indonesia
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/09/01/open-indonesia-energizing-the-open-kn…>
as an example of how Wikimedians in Indonesia launched a national advocacy
initiative inspired by their role in the Open Heritage Coalition (a global
campaign)...for more info chat to @Hardiansyah
<hardiansyah(a)wikimedia.or.id>
-
Resources on how to build an advocacy strategy.
Topics Wikimedians are actively monitoring and engaging in
==Sustainability of the open ecosystem in the face of large scale content
reuse==
📚Want to understand the issue better? Here are some resources.
-
The Wikimedia Foundation published a new blog post
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/17/how-ai-threatens-the-social-contract-…>articulating
how the scraping of the knowledge commons is challenging the social
contract that underpins the free knowledge ecosystem while traffic from web
scraping bots is at an all-time high
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/03/26/quo-vadis-crawlers-progress-and-whats…>
.
-
This 2025 research report <https://hal.science/hal-05581044v1/document>
provides a strong overview of how reciprocal structures of data sharing are
cracking, what tactics different actors are adopting, and what options
exist for more ethical and fair data sharing in the AI era.
💪What are we doing as a movement to advocate for the protection of
knowledge commons? Free knowledge advocates are raising awareness of this
issue in multiple fora.
-
The DPGA (Digital Public Goods Alliance) has released a “Defence
Playbook” to mitigate AI exploitation
<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/The_DPG_Defence_Playboo…>,
as well as best practices for preventing AI exploitation of open content
<https://dpgalliance.github.io/dpg-public-letters/dpg-open-content-data/en>
and open data (helpfully informed by WMF colleagues in Product and
Tech @Marzanne
Collins <mcollins(a)wikimedia.org> @Chris Ciufo <cciufo(a)wikimedia.org>).
-
Wikimedia France used Wikimania Paris as an opportunity to launch their
first whitepaper.
<https://www.wikimedia.fr/livre-blanc-vers-une-societe-des-communs/> It
helps policymakers understand why preserving open, transparent and
democratically governed knowledge infrastructure is important…and provides
a roadmap for how the commons can be integrated as a cornerstone of digital
policy. Talk to: @Xavier CAILLEAU <xavier.cailleau(a)wikimedia.fr>
-
Open Future and Wikimedia Switzerland published a whitepaper
<https://openfuture.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/260721-Wikimedia_the_commo…>that
explores the ongoing structural transformation of the open knowledge
ecosystem and what responses are available to the Wikimedia Movement. Talk
to: @Alek Tarkowski <alek(a)openfuture.eu> or @Ilario Valdelli
<ivaldelli(a)wikimedia.ch>
-
In Kenya, @Winnie kabintie <kabinte(a)gmail.com> joined a panel organized
by the DPGA that dove into reciprocal governance for digital public goods
and the data commons. Read Winnie’s reflections from the event
<https://kenyaforum.net/columnists/ai-data-and-the-future-of-knowledge-why-a…>
.
-
WMF brought the issue to UN Open Source Week
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/07/09/un-open-source-week-edit-a-…>
.
🧠 How to help others understand the issue? Why should they care about the
sustainability of the commons? That’s the million dollar question.
-
There’s a convergence of approaches we’re seeing to help policymakers
understand that our projects are unique assets. At WMF, we’re testing out
if we can encourage policymakers to understand knowledge commons as
critical digital infrastructure
<https://medium.com/wikimedia-policy/knowledge-as-critical-digital-infrastru…>:
assets that are so essential that they need to be prioritized and protected
on the same level as critical infrastructure. WMDE is testing different
languages, treating Wiki Projects as Digital Luxury
<https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jan-david-franke-b6871093_another-internet-i…>.
Same same but different. We encourage you to test these out and see what
sticks.
== Online safety and age-verification bills ==
This topic isn’t going away. In fact, it keeps picking up steam.
Wikimania was an important venue to share insights from campaigns related
to Online Safety Bills as well as possible on-Wiki policy changes and
proactive measures to ensure our projects are as safe as they can possibly
be for all users. Resources related to those discussions:
-
🚀 Just launched: WMF’s 3-part explainer on age-verification
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/20/online-age-verification-explained-par…>.
What it is, why it matters for Wikimedia projects, what we (and you) can do.
-
Lessons from protecting Wikipedia from strict criteria in the UK Online
Safety Act
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/2026/01/wikimedia-uk-and-the-online-safety-act/>
and Brazil’s online safety
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/01/16/why-the-wikimedia-foundation-is-advoc…>
laws.
Beyond Wikimania, this is a pressing issue. Some updates from WMEU are just
the tip of the iceberg:
-
France has passed its Loi visant à instaurer une majorité numérique
<https://www.senat.fr/leg/ppl25-903.html>, becoming the first EU country
to enact a social media age ban into law. The law bans under-15s from
accessing social media platforms. Good news for us! The law explicitly
states that the obligations "apply neither to online encyclopedias nor to
educational or scientific directories, nor to platforms for the development
and sharing of free software or open-source digital projects with an
educational purpose." 👉 How do we replicate this excellent carve-out
for similar laws in other countries?
-
Spain, Austria, Sweden, the UK and more are actively debating similar
bills. Full details in Dimi’s email.
The issue is expanding to the AI realm. See for example: Coalition launched
to advance children's rights in the age of artificial intelligence
<https://www.unicef.org/digitalimpact/stories/coalition-launched-advance-chi…>
(Announcement from UNICEF and the governments of France and Spain during
the UN Global Dialogue on AI about a new coalition on child rights and AI).
👉 How do we keep child rights in mind when debating and experimenting with
AI on Wiki?
== Copyright ==
-
See updates under Wikimania re:Nigeria and Brazil’s ongoing campaigns.
-
EU Public Domain Day will take place on January 21st in Brussels. Learn
more <https://www.pdday.org/>.
What’s Happening in Internet & AI Governance(Contributed by Sophia Longwe,
WMDE)
== Internet Governance Forum ==
Preparations for the UN Internet Governance Forum
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Governance_Forum> (IGF) 2026, which
will take place in Nairobi from 14-18 December, are in full swing. The
next Open
Consultations and Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) meeting
<https://indico.un.org/event/1025290/> will take place in Geneva from 7-9
September.
What’s new? A major development this year is the launch of the Policy
Network on Open Digital Infrastructure (PNODI)
<https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-policy-network-on-open-digital-i…>.
PNODI is particularly relevant for the Wikimedia movement, as it creates an
opportunity to shape global discussions around the governance and financing
of open digital infrastructure. 👉Community discussions have now begun and
participation is open to everyone interested in contributing via the
mailing list and regular calls.
== Global Dialogue on AI Governance ==
The first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance
<https://www.un.org/global-dialogue-ai-governance/en>, established through
the Global Digital Compact (which many of you helped shape
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_Digital_Compact_Wikimedia_Advocacy_C…>!),
took place in Geneva on 6-7 July alongside the WSIS Forum
<https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2026/> and the ITU AI for Good Summit
<https://aiforgood.itu.int/>. Governments alongside other stakeholder
groups discussed how global AI governance should evolve. Wikimedians from
Switzerland, Germany and WMF attended and contributed our perspective to
these important discussions.
Curious what these global bodies are doing related to AI? The International
Scientific Panel on AI presented its preliminary report, which you can read
here
<https://www.un.org/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai/en/prelimi…>.
Civil society organizations emphasized the importance of meaningful
multistakeholder participation and stronger safeguards for human rights.
👉Reports like this are an excellent resource when you’re preparing
submissions or talking points for a policy engagement. They provide clues
to what issues related to AI governments might care about (is it security?
Is it linguistic inclusion or media literacy? Is it national sovereignty?),
and as a result, which case studies or benefits of Wikipedia you should
highlight.
📖 Further reading:
-
Joint Multistakeholder Statement of the Freedom Online Coalition on the
UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance
<https://freedomonlinecoalition.com/news-joint-multistakeholder-statement-on…>
-
Civil Society Read Out Report – 1st United Nations Global Dialogue on AI
Governance
<https://www.gp-digital.org/news/civil-society-read-out-report-1st-united-na…>
Advocacy events where we're showing up as a movement (list always evolving)
1.
Sept 4 - 6 | Global Gathering, Portugal
2.
Sept 8 - 10 | Data for Policy, <https://dataforpolicy.org/> Barcelona
3.
Sept 22 | RightsCon Online Summit
4.
Sept 22 - 25 | UN General Assembly, NYC
5.
Oct 2 - 3 | WMEU Big Fat Brussels Meeting, Brussels
6.
Oct 28 - 30 | Mozilla Festival, Barcelona
7.
Nov 4 - 5 | Thomson Reuters TrustConference, London
8.
Nov 10 - 12 | Paris Peace Forum, Paris
9.
Nov 17 - 19 | Digital Public Goods Alliance annual members meeting, Paris
10.
Dec 14 - 18 | Internet Governance Forum, Nairobi
=== [image: 🙏]Thanks for Reading This Far[image: 🙏] ===
Ziski
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone