OK, you say 'There must be another way to work for the value of "free knowledge
for the people"', so what is it?
Peter
(also in the global south)
-----Original Message-----
From: wikimedia-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Jens Best
Sent: 31 March 2015 09:27 AM
To: Wikimedia Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Introducing Kourosh Karimkhany, Vice President of Strategic
Partnerships
Dear Gerard,
your arguments are just emotional rhetorics. Saying that "white, privileged and well
educated" people aren't allowed to critize ways how first-world-led telecoms
(like Orange, Telenor) are spreading a wrong, non-open "internet" in developing
countries is just plain emotional rhetoric far away from any fact.
Wikipedia Zero is NOT bringing the free knowledge of the world to the people, it's
bringing Wikipedia to the people, not more, not less. Also, zero-rating is helping to
establish user habits which are used to have different prices for different kinds of data
- That is the clearest violation of net neutrality and therefore of an open and free web.
Ignoring this is just helping the (first-world-led) Telecoms to establish NOT a free
internet which also helped to create something like Wikipedia, but a walled garden system
where you pay for different data of even (as it is the case e.g. in some parts of India)
different websites. I think that it is ignorant to profit only short-term by bringing a
Walled Wikipedia to the people and having Wikipedia in this exclusive deal in comparison
to establish a sustainable way to bring free knowledge (which is far more than
Wikipedia) to the people.
There must be another way to work for the value of "free knowledge for the
people" but to destroy net neutrality and the experience of an open web in the very
beginning at the same time. It is the duty of WMF to take care also of the framework which
enabled Wikipedia in the start. Ignoring this and being proud of having a comfortable deal
with some Telecoms is plain wrong and irresponsible - especially for a free and open
digital development of the Global South.
best regards
Jens Best
2015-03-31 9:05 GMT+02:00 Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijssen(a)gmail.com>om>:
Hoi,
With Wikipedia Zero people have access to knowledge that they would
not have otherwise. It is well established that having information
readily available is an important indicator for further development.
Not having Wikipedia available is absolutely a worse situation than having it.
Your argument is imho a bleeding heart stance. Would it not be better if..
My answer is sure HOWEVER given that the objective of Wikipedia is to
share in the sum of all knowledge, your argument is decidedly
secondary. Sources may be important but they are secondary to having
the information available in the first place. As long as we have
sources in full blown Wikipedia, as long as it is WMF that provides
the Wikipedia Zero content... what is your point. Yes, ideally we want
people to ensure that people know about sources. When sources are just
statements of fact and they are in turn not accessible because of cost. What is your
point in practical terms?
Wikipedia Zero is very much a fulfillment of our aspirations. Do not
forget who you are: white, privileged and well educated. What you
propose is taking away something that you take for granted. Not nice.
Thanks,
GerardM
On 30 March 2015 at 20:37, Andreas Kolbe <jayen466(a)gmail.com> wrote:
The recent Newsweek story on the Wifione / IIPM
admin corruption
case[1] has clear implications for Wikipedia Zero.
Wikipedia Zero creates hundreds of millions of passive Wikipedia
users
who:
- Cannot see the sources of a Wikipedia article (I believe SMS users
cannot
even see which statements *are* sourced and to
what)
- Cannot view alternative sources
- Cannot meaningfully edit Wikipedia (lacking access to new sources)
At the same time, Wikipedia Zero creates a monopoly position for
Wikipedia
that makes the site an even greater target for
manipulation by local
elites, who *do* enjoy full read/write access to Wikipedia. Such
monopolies
are fundamentally incompatible with the values
underlying the idea
of a free and open web. Monopolies ultimately result in *control*
rather than
*freedom* of information.
The Wifione case illustrates that even in the English Wikipedia
attempts
at
manipulation, focused on topics that the average
Wikipedia
contributor
has
little interest in or knowledge about, can be
successful and remain
undetected for years. Small, regional-language Wikipedias are far
more unstable still, as the example of the Croatian Wikipedia
demonstrated all too clearly.
Wikipedia is far too vulnerable to become the gatekeeper for
information
in
developing countries -- if such a gatekeeper were
even desirable
(which
it
is not).
To give another example, I see that Wikipedia Zero is available in
Kazakhstan.
Jimmy Wales recently asserted on Reddit that the Kazakh government
"does not control the Kazahk *[sic]* Wikipedia".[2]
The Kazakh government, however, seems to disagree with Jimmy
Wales.[3]
The Kazakh Prime Minister's official website has stated since 2011
that
the
Kazakh Wikipedia project "is implemented
under the auspices of the
Government of Kazakhstan and with the support of Prime Minister
Karim Massimov", quoting the head of WikiBilim and 2011 Wikipedian
of the Year, who today holds the office of a Deputy Governor in the
Kazakh
government[4]
and is the Founding Director of a Brussels-based
think tank, the
"Eurasian
Council on Foreign Affairs", which is widely
considered a PR front
of the Kazakh government.[5][6][7]
Is aiding the market dominance and penetration of such a source
through Wikipedia Zero in line with movement values? Is the type of
collaboration described on Wikimedia's Outreach page for
Kazakhstan?[8] I don't think
so.
I thought we were on the side of those fighting for freedom of
speech,
not
the side of those suppressing it.
It's a concrete example of Wikipedia Zero aiding an oppressive
government in the control of information -- not at some point in the
future, but today.
For a thoughtful examination of the issues surrounding Wikipedia
Zero,
I'd
ask everyone to take 5 minutes of their time to
listen to the
presentation
Thomas Lohninger gave at the Chaos Communication
Congress in
December
2014,
"Net Neutrality: Days of Future
Past?"[9] Time code 37:00 onward.
I would be glad to see the Wikimedia Foundation rejoin the ranks of
those fighting for freedom of speech, and a free and open web for all.
[1]
http://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/manipulating-wikipedia-promote-bogu
s-business-school-316133.html
http://www.silkroadreporters.com/2015/02/20/jack-straw-slammed-taking-
job-kazakhstan/
[6]
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/jack-straw-criticised
-for-accepting-parttime-job-paid-for-by-kazakhstan-10057426.html
http://media.ccc.de/browse/congress/2014/31c3_-_6170_-_en_-_saal_g_-_2
01412282145_-_net_neutrality_days_of_future_past_-_rejo_zenger_-_thoma
s_lohninger.html
On Sat, Mar 28, 2015 at 12:15 AM, Jens Best <best.jens(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Well,
first of all, welcome Kourosh.
I'm looking forward to see how the reality of this exciting job
description
> gonna look like. For me this also sounds like a clear move to a
> more politically positioned understanding of this aspect of the
> growing importance of the Wikimedia-Movment globally. "Advancement
Department"
> sounds pretty neutral, but certainly it isn't at all.
>
> When it comes to "collaboration with like-minded organizations"
decisions
> surely are also carried by a stronger public
postioning of the
> values
of
> the movement. Some of the decisions in the
past, especially when
> it
comes
to
collaborations with commercial internet players maybe need to
be
openly
and transparently re-evaluated.
If Kourosh is settled in I would like to see a global, transparent
and
open
discussion about our program "Wikipedia
Zero" which is under
global
critic
> by OpenWeb-NGOs and other worried members of the civil society in
> the
US,
in the
"Global South" and in Europe.
Wikipedia Zero which for me is a straight marketing element of
some
clever
telecoms to sell their mobile products in
developing markets and
therefore
> infusing an user-experience of data-specific payment habits, needs
> to
be
re-evaluated with a professional look that includes awareness of
what implications strategic partnerships can have on our core values.
The well-meant intentions which carried the Wikipedia Zero
programme
inside
WMF to the point where it is now maybe were a
little starry-eyed.
Let's
not
> forget that a zero-rated Wikipedia which can't connect to the
> linked knowledge of the world is just a *Walled Wikipedia *and
> therefore a questionable contribution to our core belief of
> giving free knowledge
to
the
people - by the people.
The intensity with which the global fight about net neutrality is
lead because of the commercial interests of the telecoms surely
doesn't stop
at
the markets of the Global South - therefore
Wikimedia movement has
to
make
> perfectly clear which line is walked on this central matter of a
> free
and
> open internet.
>
> You see, Kourosh, the challenges are big and I'm looking forward
> to
have
an
experienced person overlooking the future
developments in this field.
best regards and a good start
Jens Best
2015-03-27 21:13 GMT+01:00 Lila Tretikov <lila(a)wikimedia.org>rg>:
> Dear Wikimedians,
>
> In order to encourage the expansion of knowledge, we’ve been
considering
> > new ways to support and develop the work you do. Collaboration
> > is an essential part of the Wikimedia movement, and today, I’m
> > excited to
let
> you
> > know about a new addition at the Wikimedia Foundation that will
support
> our
> > collaboration with like-minded organizations.
> >
> > For some time now, we’ve planned to hire a Vice President of
Strategic
> > Partnerships. Today, I am pleased to
announce that Kourosh
> > Karimkhany
> will
> > step into this role on March 30, 2015.
> >
> > Kourosh will be responsible for crafting a strategy to grow
> > long-term
> value
> > for Wikimedia projects through building meaningful partnerships,
> projects,
> > and relationships on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation. He will
become
> > part of the C-level team and will
report to Lisa Gruwell.
> > Kourosh
will
> also
> > oversee Wikipedia Zero, which will transition to the
> > partnerships
team.
>
> The Wikimedia community has many fruitful and creative
> partnerships
that
> help support knowledge creation and sharing
around the world.
> The partnerships Kourosh will support will will help us better
> support
these
> partnerships and your work, as well as grow
strategic
> initiatives we
take
on at the
WMF.
Kourosh was born in Iran and moved to the U.S. as a child with
his
family.
> Today, he is an experienced digital media professional with a
> passion
for
> sharing information with the world. He
started his career as a
technology
> > journalist covering Silicon Valley for Bloomberg, Reuters and Wired.
He
>
switched to the business side of media when he joined Yahoo as
> senior producer of Yahoo News. Later, he led corporate
> development at Conde
Nast
where he
spearheaded the acquisition of
Wired.com, Ars Technica
and
Reddit.
> He also cofounded Food Republic in 2009, which was acquired in 2013.
He's
> > an active angel investor and startup advisor.
> >
> > In light of the expanded scope of the Fundraising team and the
revamped
>
partnerships team, we’re changing the team's name to better
> reflect
their
> mission. The new name is the Advancement
Department. To learn
> more
about
> > the new role, visit the FAQ here:
> >
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WMF_Partnerships_FAQ
> >
> > Please join me in welcoming Kourosh as the newest member of the
> > WMF leadership team. We have many exciting projects in 2015 and
> > I’m
looking
> > forward to all the great things we will
accomplish as we work
together
to
> > support our mission.
> >
> > ~~~~Lila
> > _______________________________________________
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