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@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-model-its-people-and-its-values-in-june-2026/. 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-knowledge-wikimania-2026-public-policy-advocacy-sessions-to-join/ .

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@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_Workshop/Documentation. Don’t miss:

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WM Brazil’s report https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Licen%C3%A7as_Livres_no_Governo_Federal.pdf 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_THE_NIGERIAN_COPYRIGHT_ACT_2022.pdf. TY @Marília Rocha marilia.rocha@wmnobrasil.org & @Olubusola Afolabi olubusola@freeknowledgeafrica.org -

Learning more about Open Indonesia https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/09/01/open-indonesia-energizing-the-open-knowledge-movement/ 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@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.

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The Wikimedia Foundation published a new blog post https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/17/how-ai-threatens-the-social-contract-of-free-knowledge/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-next-on-safeguarding-our-infrastructure/ . -

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.

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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_Playbook_2026.pdf?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original, 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@wikimedia.org @Chris Ciufo cciufo@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@wikimedia.fr -

Open Future and Wikimedia Switzerland published a whitepaper https://openfuture.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/260721-Wikimedia_the_commons_and_the_new_Ai_knowledge_loop.pdfthat explores the ongoing structural transformation of the open knowledge ecosystem and what responses are available to the Wikimedia Movement. Talk to: @Alek Tarkowski alek@openfuture.eu or @Ilario Valdelli ivaldelli@wikimedia.ch -

In Kenya, @Winnie kabintie kabinte@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-africa-must-have-a-seat-at-the-governance-table/ . -

WMF brought the issue to UN Open Source Week https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/07/09/un-open-source-week-edit-a-thon-2026/ .

🧠 How to help others understand the issue? Why should they care about the sustainability of the commons? That’s the million dollar question.

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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-infrastructure-a-call-to-action-for-a-resilient-future-5e23968b170e: 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-is-already-here-the-wiki-share-7487852023233839104-3djv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA3a1BsBn-LUdLAwtr5fczf2jgM2FGwWzWk. 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:

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🚀 Just launched: WMF’s 3-part explainer on age-verification https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/07/20/online-age-verification-explained-part-1-3-what-is-it-a-timeline-of-age-based-restrictions-and-why-it-matters/. 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-advocating-proportionality-and-carve-outs-for-digital-public-goods-in-brazils-new-online-child-safety-law-eca-digital/ laws.

Beyond Wikimania, this is a pressing issue. Some updates from WMEU are just the tip of the iceberg:

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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-childrens-rights-age-artificial-intelligence (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 ==

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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-infrastructure. 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_Collaboration_2024!), 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/preliminary-report. 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:

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Joint Multistakeholder Statement of the Freedom Online Coalition on the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance https://freedomonlinecoalition.com/news-joint-multistakeholder-statement-on-the-un-global-dialogue-on-ai-governance/ -

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-nations-global-dialogue-on-ai-governance/

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@wikimedia.org

UTC Timezone