Wikimedia UK regrets to have to announce to the community that the
Wikimedia Foundation’s outgoing Executive Director, Sue Gardner, has given
us formal notice of her decision under her mandate from the WMF board not
to renew our fundraising agreement, thereby excluding us from this year’s
fundraiser.
We have written an open letter to Sue about this decision. A copy of our
letter to Sue can be found
here<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Open_letter_to_Sue_Gardner_regarding_non…>
on
the Wikimedia UK wiki.
Thanks and regards,
Stevie
--
Stevie Benton
Head of External Relations
Wikimedia UK
+44 (0) 20 7065 0993 / +44 (0) 7803 505 173
@StevieBenton
Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England
and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513.
Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street,
London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a
global Wikimedia movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the
Wikimedia Foundation (who operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
*Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal
control over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*
Hi
I realised a while back that I have in the past written to the Wikimedia
Foundation Mailing List and to the Wikimedia Mailing List without een
realising that I was writing to more than one list. I do now vaguely recall
once getting a response saying that what I wanted discusses would best be
discussed on the Foundation List. And I see there is also a Wikipedia
information team. And how do these, if at all, overlap with the Village
Pump? And the Portals?
Where could I find out more about what exactly is the purview of each of
these forums?
Examples of the kind of issues and where to discuss:
1. A simpler (automated) merge proposal template
2. A simpler deletion proposal process
3. Content issues that affect many articles (therefore talkpages are not
efficient)
Some of these I have brought up before on one of the lists.
Right now I would like to make two further suggestions even if after this
it turns out that I must do this on a different forum:
1. A source ranking system - edit summaries are full of "not a reliable
source" justifications. Can we not create a ranking system where editors
rank each source on a scale of 1-10 and a programme automatically
calculates that source a reliability value?
2. a) "Keep me informed on this" - often one issue is discussed on a
multitude of pages (Bushmen/ Khoisan/ Khoi and San, is such an example) and
it is difficult to keep track. Using any of the existing systems that group
pages together - such as categories - could we not create a "theme/ issue
watchlist" similar to the page wattchlist currently available?
2. b) As an add-on to the above, an actual means of communication to
contact all editors working on a specific these - Asian languages, or
prehistoric art, for example.
Best regards,
Rui
--
_________________________
Rui Correia
Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Work Consultant
Bridge to Angola - Angola Liaison Consultant
Mobile Number in South Africa +27 74 425 4186
Número de Telemóvel na África do Sul +27 74 425 4186
_______________
hi,
could wmf please extend the mediawiki software in the following way:
1. it should knows "groups"
2. allow users to store an arbitrary number of groups with their profile
3. allow to select one of the "group"s joined to an edit when saving
4. add a checkbox "COI" to an edit, meaning "potential conflict of interest"
5. display and filter edits marked with COI in a different color in history
views
6. display and filter edits done for a group in a different color in
history views
7. allow members of a group to receive notifications done on the group page,
or when a group is mentioned in an edit/comment/talk page.
reason:
currently it is quite cumbersome to participate as an organisation. it is
quite cumbersome for people as well to detect COI edits. the most prominent
examples are employees of the wikimedia foundation, and GLAMs. users tend
to create multiple accounts, and try to create "company accounts". the main
reason for this behaviour are (examples, but of course valid general):
* have a feedback page / notification page for the swiss federal archive
for other users
* make clear that an edit is done private or as wmf employee
this then would allow the community to create new policies, e.g. the german
community might cease using company accounts, and switch over to this
system. this proposal is purely technical. current policies can still be
applied if people do not need something else, e.g. wmf employees may
continue to use "sue gardner (wmf)" accounts.
what you think?
best regards,
rupert
-------------------
swissGLAMour, http://wikimedia.ch
David Gerard wrote:
>I'll be leaving Commons categorisation until it's tags rather than
>ridiculously specific subcategories.
Commons has tags right now: they're called categories. Or is there a
distinction you're making? :-)
Tim and I discussed this a few weeks ago and I was mostly on your side,
but when he asked what would be different, I had difficulty articulating a
great response. It seems to really come down to a social problem on
Commons. Some Commoners seem to have very specific views of what
categories should be for and how they should be constructed and named. But
this isn't a technical problem, per se. Poor labeling or other interface
design problems (or outright limitations) in MediaWiki may contribute to
this problem, but is there a larger technical issue here? It seems to
primarily be a social issue, from what I've seen, not a technical issue.
I'd be interested in your thoughts on this.
There are specific features we'd like to have (such as built-in
intersections), but is there a fundamental difference between categories
and tags? Or perhaps put another way: what are we waiting for, exactly?
MZMcBride
Hello
This is a reminder that the Language Engineering IRC office hour is
happening later today at 1700UTC on #wikimedia-office. Please see below for
the original announcement and local time.
Thanks
Runa
Monthly IRC Office Hour:
==================
# Date: May 21, 2014 (Wednesday)
# Time: 1700 UTC/1000PDT (Check local time:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20140521T1700)
# IRC channel: #wikimedia-office
# Agenda:
1. Content Translation project updates
2. Q & A (Questions can be sent to me ahead of the event)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Runa Bhattacharjee <rbhattacharjee(a)wikimedia.org>
Date: Mon, May 19, 2014 at 4:11 PM
Subject: Language Engineering IRC Office Hour on May 21, 2014 (Wednesday)
at 1700 UTC
To: MediaWiki internationalisation <mediawiki-i18n(a)lists.wikimedia.org>,
Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>, Wikimedia
developers <wikitech-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>,
wikitech-ambassadors(a)lists.wikimedia.org
[x-posted]
Hello,
The Wikimedia Language Engineering team will be hosting the next
monthly IRC office hour on Wednesday, May 21 2014 at 1700 UTC on
#wikimedia-office. The event is delayed this month as the team was
traveling.
In this office hour we will be discussing about our recent work, which
has mostly been around the upcoming first release of the Content
Translation tool[1]. We will also be taking questions during the
session.
Please see below for event details and local time. See you at the office
hour.
Thanks
Runa
[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Content_translation
Monthly IRC Office Hour:
==================
# Date: May 21, 2014 (Wednesday)
# Time: 1700 UTC/1000PDT (Check local time:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20140521T1700)
# IRC channel: #wikimedia-office
# Agenda:
1. Content Translation project updates
2. Q & A (Questions can be sent to me ahead of the event)
--
Language Engineering - Outreach and QA Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation
--
Language Engineering - Outreach and QA Coordinator
Wikimedia Foundation
> We have written an open letter to Sue about this decision. A copy of our
> letter to Sue can be found here on the Wikimedia UK wiki.
This open letter may have some emotive reason for being produced, but
after reviewing it carefully, I can see no strategic value for WMUK by
publishing it.
It comes as no surprise for anyone with a reasonable understanding of
WMF politics that Sue Gardner has made this decision. The surprise
here is that Jon Davies (WMUK CEO) thought he had invested his time
over the last two years forming a relationship with the right person
within the WMF hierarchy that would take different action, or that he
was following effective tactics by using appeasing politics, in order
to achieve a different outcome in time for 2014/15.
This official letter criticises the outgoing CEO's judgement
(exceedingly pointless), and I read nothing in its content to address
how WMUK is making the significant management changes that would
convince those that think along Sue's lines to make a difference for
coming years. How Jon Davies believes this will impress the new WMF
CEO is beyond me.
Hopefully the superb exemplars of WMFR and WMDE in how they have, and
continue to, radically change their course is something that the
current WMUK board of trustees are taking to heart behind closed
doors. Certainly, *they* have said little in public.
Fae
--
faewik(a)gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae
Hi,
this year in a Gsoc project, following a proposal by the student, we are
using a dedicated mailing list for his project. I think it is a great
solution because:
- interested people can follow the project without bothering usual mailing
lists
- the evolution of the project is recorded and public for future reference
- offers more flexibility than plain email, because each participant can
decide how many messages to get
OTOH, by using a Googlegroup we are outside of the typical development
channels, creating an artificial island. I was wondering if Phabricator
offer a solution for this? Or is there a way to connect a mailing list to a
bug report? I'm thinking of ad-hoc mailing lists like documents in etherpad.
Micru
Hi,
EFF has published this transparency report called "Who has your back" which
now includes Wikimedia (I think they are referring to the Wikimedia
Foundation, though).
Well, the result is slightly disappointing:
https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014#wikimed…
About "fighting for users privacy in court", I think this is something we
do, isn't it? Doesn't the case with the editor Diu in Greece apply?
WMF also seem to lack the publication of a transparency report.
Cristian
(among other things, EFF supporter)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: EFFector List <editor(a)eff.org>
Date: 2014-05-16 8:43 GMT+02:00
Subject: New "Who Has Your Back" report shows Internet companies competing
on privacy
To: Cristian Consonni <kikkocristian(a)gmail.com>
View as a web page<https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=650>
[image: EFFector!]<https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=650>
[image:
Electronic Frontier Foundation] <https://www.eff.org/>
In our 661st issue:
- UPDATES <#14603c5c779f5b63_Updates>
- MINILINKS <#14603c5c779f5b63_minilinks>
- ANNOUNCEMENTS <#14603c5c779f5b63_announcements>
When the Government Comes Knocking, Who Has Your
Back?<https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014>
When governments are after your personal data, which online services will
stand up and defend it? In our fourth annual *Who Has Your Back* report, we
look at companies' public policies and practices, so that privacy-conscious
consumers can make an informed decision about who to trust with their most
sensitive data. We were pleased to find out that, in a year rocked by
high-profile disclosures of NSA spying reaching into our online accounts,
many companies have responded by increasing their commitment to
transparency, pushing back against mass surveillance, and fighting for
their users. The full
report<https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014>goes
into extensive detail about how each company performed, and what
exactly our evaluation criteria were. Public policies and commitments
aren't the last word when it comes to defending your privacy, but as we
trust online services with more and more of our information, it's an
increasingly important component. If you're concerned about your privacy
from overreaching surveillance, you'll want to know: when the government
comes knocking, who has your
back<https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2014>
?
It's Time to Defend Net Neutrality: Tell the FCC What you Think of its
Proposed Regulations <https://dearfcc.org/>
Today the FCC met to discuss new rules that could determine the future of
network neutrality. There’s been a lot of news
circulating<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/fccs-new-rules-could-threaten-net-neu…>about
what the FCC's plan will contain. And while we haven't seen the text
of the plan yet, we know the agency is still considering a set of rules
that will allow Internet providers to differentiate how we access websites.
But the FCC is clearly hearing the public outcry to protect the future of
the Internet. The agency announced that they are seeking comment on wider
set of initiatives that would stop ISPs from setting up pay-to-play
Internet fast lanes. The FCC is opening a four-month comment window to hear
from people across country about how their proposed rules will effect the
future of our Internet. So we must take this opportunity to speak up —
early, and often. EFF has created a tool to help. Visit
DearFCC.org<https://dearfcc.org/>to raise your voice and make sure the
FCC is clear on this point: We don't
want regulations that will turn ISPs into gatekeepers to their subscribers.
EFF Updates
Victory! Chevron Withdraws Subpoenas to Anonymous Email Users Represented
by EFF and EarthRights
International<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/long-fought-victory-anonymous-email-u…>
EFF and EarthRights International represented Ecuadorian environmental
activists, attorneys, and journalists fighting against the environmental
damage caused by Chevron in Ecuador. After several court battles, Chevron
agreed to withdraw subpoenas to Yahoo! and Google requesting extensive and
troubling information about webmail users.
The Morality Police in Your Checking Account: Chase Bank Shuts Down
Accounts of Adult
Entertainers<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/moral-police-your-checking-account-ch…>
Chase Bank sent letters to hundreds of adult entertainers informing them
that their bank accounts would be shut down without giving a reason. Some
are speculating that the Department of Justice's misguided "Operation
Chokepoint" program may be behind the move.
International Day Against DRM: It's Time to Fix U.S. Copyright
Law<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/understanding-digital-rights-manageme…>
Digital rights management (DRM) is technology that purportedly exists to
protect against copyright infringement, but in practice limits how people
use and share technology they have paid for.
We’ve Got TPP Right Where We Want It: Going
Nowhere<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/tpp-right-where-we-want-it-going-nowh…>
The secrecy surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade
agreement, and the massive opposition TPP has faced from all sides, appears
to be stalling the negotiation process.
The White House Big Data Report: The Good, The Bad, and The
Missing<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/white-house-big-data-report-good-bad-…>
We did an in-depth analysis of a big data report commissioned by President
Obama. While the report addresses issues like the dangers of discrimination
based on big data, it ignores others, and even has some concerning
suggestions, such as likening whistleblowers to violent criminals.
EFF Calls for Release of Ethiopian Dissident
Bloggers<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/eff-calls-release-ethiopian-dissident…>
Bloggers in Ethiopia who are critical of the government face censorship,
intimidation, and pervasive surveillance. Recently, six dissident bloggers
were arrested--the government of Ethiopia must release them now.
Government Plays Fast and Loose with Technology in Supreme Court Cell Phone
Cases<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/government-plays-fast-and-loose-techn…>
The government's arguments in two Supreme Court cases regarding cell phone
searches by law enforcement included extreme mischaracterizations both of
how cell phone technology works and how people use it.
Pols to Ad Networks: Pretend We Passed SOPA, and Never Mind About Violating
Antitrust Law<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/pols-ad-networks-pretend-we-passed-so…>
Members of Congress are pressuring ad networks to blacklist sites based on
easy to abuse commercial definitions of "pirate sites." This mimics the
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) even though public pressure ensured that SOPA
did not become law, and it may very well violate federal antitrust law.
EFF Releases Alpha Version of Privacy Badger, a New Tool to Help Block
Trackers and Spy Ads <https://www.eff.org/privacybadger>
EFF has released our first version of Privacy Badger, a new open source
browser add-on for Firefox and Chrome that stops advertisers and other
third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you
look at on the web.
miniLinks
The battle against pervasive surveillance can be won –
really!<http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/10/the-battle-to-retake-o…>
Between legislative action like USA FREEDOM, direct action like Reset the
Net, and legal action like EFF's NSA cases, we will see real change to the
NSA.
Why I Licensed Under Creative Commons: I’m Building the World I Want to
Live In<http://www.slhuang.com/blog/2014/04/27/why-i-licensed-under-creative-common…>
Novelist SL Huang explains how using Creative Commons licenses helps
creativity thrive.
Cops Must Swear Silence to Access Vehicle Tracking
System<http://www.wired.com/2014/05/license-plate-tracking/>
Cops who use a private vehicle tracking database can't cooperate with the
media, according to its user agreement.
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Announcements
EFF at the Los Angeles Chapter Information Systems Security Association
Summit <https://www.eff.org/event/eff-issa-la-information-security-summit>
EFF Staff Attorney Nate Cardozo will join a panel of experts for a
discussion entitled Privacy and Security in the Age of NSA and Snowden
exploring corporate data collection and government spying.
Don't forget to stop by the EFF table!
DISCOUNT FOR EFF SUPPORTERS: Receive a 25% discount on
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*May 16, 2014 Los Angeles, CA*
EFF at Bitcoin 2014 <https://www.eff.org/event/bitcoin-2014>
EFF Activism Director Rainey Reitman and EFF Special Counsel Marcia Hofmann
will give a talk on "Bitcoin as a Liberty-Enhancing Technology: Case
Studies in Financial Censorship and the SOPA Saga" on Saturday May 17th.
After their presentation, they will participate in a panel discussion about
Bitcoin and government relations.
* May 17, 2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands*
EFF at Bay Area Maker
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Join EFF at Maker Faire Bay Area! We are proud to support the rights of
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*May 18-19, 2014 San Francisco, CA *
Techno-Activism Third Mondays
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Techno-Activism Third Mondays (TA3M) are informal meetups that occur on the
same date in many cities worldwide. It is designed to connect
techno-activists and hacktivists who work on or with circumvention tools,
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TA3M are held in New York, Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Portland, Tokyo, and
more.
* May 19, 2014 EFF Offices 815 Eddy Street, San Francisco*
Personal Democracy Forum
(PDF)<https://www.eff.org/event/personal-democracy-forum-pdf>
EFF's Rainey Reitman and Jillian York will speak at the Personal Democracy
Forum. PDF brings together a thousand top opinion makers, political
practitioners, technologists, and journalists from across the ideological
spectrum for two days to network, exchange ideas, and explore how
technology and wired citizens are changing politics, governance, and civil
society.
*June 5-6, 2014 New York, NY*
How NSA Spying Can Affect Your Legal Case and What Steps You Can Take to
Protect Your Client<https://www.eff.org/event/what-you-dont-know-can-hurt-you-how-nsa-spying-ca…>
EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury will give a one hour CLE presentation for
the Bar Association of San Francisco, discussing how NSA and other
intelligence communities gather and tip information to law enforcement
agencies in routine criminal cases. He will also explain steps criminal
defense attorneys can take to figure out if NSA derived evidence is being
used against their clients.
*June 19, 2014 Bar Association of San Francisco 301 Battery St, San
Francisco, CA *
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