Hello everyone,
As many of you are aware, the new European copyright directive is is coming
up for an important vote next week, and it includes a provision (Article
13) which would require websites which host large quantities of user
uploaded content to run new content through upload filters to identify and
block copyright infringing material. Last year
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/06/06/european-copyright-directive-proposal/>,
we wrote about why Article 13 is bad for collaboration and freedom of
expression online, and yesterday we published a follow-up blog
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/06/14/dont-force-platforms-to-replace-communities-with-algorithms/>
with
Anna Mazgal of Wikimedia Deutschland addressing Article 13 and other
troubling proposals for mandatory automatic content detection.
While technology like machine learning can be helpful in content evaluation
(for example ORES <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/ORES>, which flags
vandalism and rates article quality on Wikipedia), Wikimedia only uses
these technologies to aid our community-driven processes. The community
processes are particularly effective for catching copyright violations, and
as a result the Wikimedia Foundation receives a small number of DMCA
takedown notices every year, and only a handful of these are granted
<https://transparency.wikimedia.org/content.html>.
We oppose Article 13 because we believe that policymakers need to leave
room for community processes and protect user rights.
The vote is coming up soon, so please help share our blog post
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/06/14/dont-force-platforms-to-replace-communities-with-algorithms/>
(also
published on Medium
<https://medium.com/freely-sharing-the-sum-of-all-knowledge/dont-force-platforms-to-replace-communities-with-algorithms-c53e40cccf1f>)
and
consider supporting ongoing campaigns against Article 13
<https://saveyourinternet.eu/>.
Many European chapters of the Wikimedia movement also participated in a Day
of Action on June 12 against the proposal, writing blogs and tweeting under
the hashtag #SaveYourInternet, so please amplify those as well.
Thanks,
Allison Davenport
Technology Law and Policy Fellow, Wikimedia Foundation
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