Dear everyone,
We are still looking to receive more feedback from you on the current
Hosting Policy draft.
For context, check the latest announcement:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikibase-cloud@lists.wikimedia.…
.
We invite you to read the draft and share your thoughts following this
link:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_draft_.
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_draft…>
We
set up a dedicated feedback page that you can use to share your thoughts on
the policy with us:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_d...
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_…>
.
If you wish to provide us with your feedback through other means, you can
e-mail Annie Kim (WMDE) - UX Researcher for Wikibase Cloud - too via
annie.kim(a)wikimedia.de.
Cheers!
Valerie Wollinger (She/Her)
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
Dear Wikibase Cloud Community,
Those of you who participated in our data governance card sort might have
been waiting for this already. Today, we’re finally sharing the draft of
our new policy for Wikibase Cloud and would be grateful for your feedback.
Today, Wikibase Cloud is governed only by its Terms of Use
<https://www.wikibase.cloud/terms-of-use> and Privacy Policy
<https://www.wikibase.cloud/privacy-policy>. This new policy we are
drafting will sit alongside those documents and focus specifically on who
and what Cloud can sustainably host. Since we opened Cloud for public
sign-ups in open beta, anyone has been able to create an instance and keep
it online indefinitely. This model is no longer sustainable: our
infrastructure, budget, and support capacity are limited, and we want to
ensure Cloud remains healthy, stable, and available, especially for those
with fewer technical and financial resources.
To ensure that those wishing to remain long-term can do so, we are planning
to implement a formal review process. We expect that the majority of
instances today that are meant for long-term hosting do fulfill the
expected criteria, but please make sure to double-check the policy draft to
see how your Wikibase fits within them. In doubt or feeling excluded,
please reach out and help us clarify. We hope to ensure a sustainable and
secure place within the ecosystem for all those longing to give their data
a long-term home. At the same time, we remain committed to reducing
barriers to lightweight experimentation and early exploration of Wikibase.
Before finalizing the policy, we would like to hear from you—especially
people actively using or planning to use Wikibase Cloud and those working
with linked open data, open knowledge, or knowledge equity.
We aim to build a policy that is transparent, reliable, and aligned
with Wikimedia’s
mission <https://wikimediafoundation.org/who-we-are/mission/>—and we want
to do this in a way that respects and supports the communities that are
using and contributing to Wikibase Cloud today.
Timeline:
-
Feedback collection until January 19 2026
-
Updated draft shared for community feedback: February 2026
-
First version of the policy officially published: March 2026
-
Pilot of the review process with a subset of instances: Q2 2026
-
Iteration and expansion of the process to the rest of the platform: Q3-Q4
2026
We invite you to read the draft and share your thoughts following this
link:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_draft….
We set up a dedicated feedback page that you can use to share your thoughts
on the policy with us:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/Hosting_policy_….
If you wish to provide us with your feedback through other means, you can
e-mail Annie Kim (WMDE) - UX Researcher for Wikibase Cloud - too via
annie.kim(a)wikimedia.de.
Thank you so much for your help in this!
On behalf of Wikibase Cloud
Valerie Wollinger (She/Her)
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
Dear Wikibase Community,
whether Cloud or Suite or both and everything in between.
You are the people who make Wikibase what it is.
An ambitious project with many minds involved, trying to make knowledge
more accessible and diverse.
Thank you for being with us and contributing through thinking and iterating
with us!
We are looking forward to new chapters of exploration and learning with
you 🎉
With kind wishes,
Valerie on behalf of the Wikibase Ecosystem
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
Hey everyone,
I wanted to spread some cool news with you! There is an upcoming hackathon
taking place in the Netherlands next March.
The Wikimedia Hackathon Northwestern Europe 2026 is a two-day event that
will take place from 13 to 14 March 2026 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The
hackathon is organized by people with extensive knowledge and experience in
coding, hacking, and development, and is designed for experienced
Wikimedians. The event serves as preparation for the International
Wikimedia Hackathon 2026 in Milan and will be held fully in person and
on-site. Come join us for two days of coding, hacking, development,
collaboration, and fun!
Something for you?
You can apply for a grant and join the event using this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYOnOg1iq-8M4xWw8foHUw_7fReWTKtVH…
Requirements:
*Experience & skills:* Participants are expected to have an adequate level
of skill and expertise in coding, hacking, and developing.
*Connecting people:* We also aim to create a diverse group of participants
and actively encourage applications from individuals belonging to
underrepresented groups.
*Geography: *Applicant should be from North-Western European countries.
Link to event page:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_Northwestern_Europe_2026
.
Followed by the official Wikimedia Hackathon in Milan taking place in May 🎉
The Wikimedia Hackathon is an annual event that brings the global technical
community together to connect and have technical discussions, hack on
existing projects and explore new ideas for others. Developers from all
around the world will work together to enhance and improve the
technological infrastructure and software that powers Wikipedia and other
Wikimedia projects – particularly the MediaWiki platform on which they are
based – and other Wikimedia code development.
The 2026 Wikimedia Hackathon will take place in person, onsite Milan,
Italy. The 2026 event is being organized by the Wikimedia Foundation in
collaboration with local Wikimedia affiliate,
- Event registration will open in January 2026 and close mid-April, or
earlier based on event capacity.
- Scholarship and staff sponsorship applications are now closed.
Applications were accepted from November 10, 2025 to November 28, 2025.
For those unable to attend in person, we will live-stream the Hackathon
opening ceremony and closing showcase. Local and global communities are
also welcome and encouraged to organize pre-hackathon events or related
meetups.
Link to event:https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2026
Excited who of you will be there 💫
Valerie Wollinger (She/Her)
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
👋
Hi everyone, we set up a new user-agent policy to support the reliability
and manageability of Wikibase.cloud services.
ℹ️
All automated clients, bots, and scripts accessing the platform must
include a clear, descriptive User-Agent header in their requests that
identifies the tool, includes “bot” if applicable, and provides contact
information (e.g., email or URL). Requests should avoid generic or
misleading agent strings, making it easy for the service operators to
understand and communicate with requestors if needed. Browser-originated
traffic can use the browser’s own user agent or the Api-User-Agent header
for additional identification.
🕊
This policy helps ensure responsible use of infrastructure and prevents
poorly behaved traffic from consuming resources.
👀
Learn more by following this link:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Wikibase.cloud/User-Agent_Policy.
Ob behalf of Wikibase Cloud
Valerie Wollinger (She/Her)
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
Dear Wikibase Cloud Community,
We are starting to update Wikis to MediaWiki 1.43. As part of this, you’ll
be receiving the accumulated updates to MediaWiki, Wikibase and all the
other extensions that were written approximately between the period of
Northern Hemisphere Autumn 2022 and Northern Hemisphere Autumn 2024. That’s
about 2 years of updates and improvements
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.43#Changes> but perhaps also
changes to things you’re used to.
One thing we are especially excited about is the REST API
<https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?title=Wikidata:REST_API>. It’s been a
long journey working to make that happen, and we are thrilled to know you
can make use of its potential now too.
To do the update, we will individually make one Wiki at a time read-only,
update the Wiki’s database to be compatible with 1.43, and then start
serving the Wiki with the new 1.43 code.
This means that there will be a short time in the near future where you are
unable to write to your Wiki. We expect that this period of time will be
longer for larger Wikis but we don’t have some precise estimate.
We also expect in the process to uncover some bugs despite our extensive
testing. Please do report these, ideally on Phabricator but alternatively
on the mailing list, Telegram, or via our contact form.
We’re hoping this update will not cause any major interruptions, and above
all, we hope you will enjoy the new features and possibilities.
All the best,
Valerie on behalf of the Wikibase Cloud team
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
Dear Wikibase Community,
Please take a look at our latest research insights within the Data
Governance Research process by Annie Kim:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Community_report_Data_Governance_Re…
.
We're happy to hear your feedback!
Kindly
Valerie Wollinger (She/Her)
Community Communications Manager Wikibase
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-577 11 62-0https://wikimedia.de
Keep up to date! Current news and exciting stories about Wikimedia,
Wikipedia and Free Knowledge in our newsletter (in German): Subscribe
now <https://www.wikimedia.de/newsletter/>.
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. Help us to achieve our
vision!https://spenden.wikimedia.de
Wikimedia Deutschland — Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
V. Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Charlottenburg, VR
23855 B. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das Finanzamt für
Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/029/42207. Geschäftsführende
Vorständin: Franziska Heine
[Apologies for cross-posting]
Hello everyone,
This is a notification that the deadline for the Fall 2025 MediaWiki Users & Developers Conference<https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conf…> CfP is extended until September 15th. The conference will be held on October 28–30th, and hosted by the TIB Leibniz Centre in Hanover, Germany. A lot of exciting proposals<https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conf…> are already coming in, but we want to give a chance to more presenters who may have found our original deadline too tight after the summer break to take part. A preliminary conference programme will be released in mid-September and the final programme will be available by Sept. 28th.
The CfP remains open to presentation and tutorial proposals on any topic related to MediaWiki usage, deployment or development, including the MediaWiki extension ecosystem (Wikibase, Semantic MediaWiki, etc). To propose a tutorial or any other form of contribution talk for this conference, just fill out this form<https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:FormEdit/Talk?Talk%5BConfer…>.
Everyone is encouraged to attend, to meet and discuss MediaWiki-related topics relating to both the Wikimedia world and uses within companies, organizations, etc.
Special thanks also to the sponsors<https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_Users_and_Developers_Conf…> of this event!
Regards,
Lozana Rossenova, on behalf of the conference team
--
Dr. Lozana Rossenova
Postdoc Researcher
Open Science Lab
TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library
Welfengarten 1 B // 30167 Hannover
lozana.rossenova(a)tib.eu<mailto:xxx.xxx@tib.eu>
www.tib.eu<http://www.tib.eu/>
ORCID: 0000-0002-5190-1867
TIB is a public-law foundation of the Federal State of Lower Saxony. In accordance with Section 1(1) of the “Gesetz über die Stiftung Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB)” (TIBstiftG ND), its name is “Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB)”. TIB uses the terms “Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology” and “University Library” as additional designations.