VPNs and IP block exemption may or may not be useful for contributing to Commons, but contribution is not the only thing at issue here.The purpose of Commons is to act as a media repository for (a) all Wikimedia projects and (b) the world as a whole, without cost or licensing issues. Every day, hundreds if not thousands of Commons files are used in news media, academia, and other places outside of Wikimedia projects. Commons files appear in the majority of Wikimedia articles. Therefore, free and open access to Wikimedia Commons as part of the knowledge available to all of humanity is a major objective. It's also where we, as a community, store useful documents and files associated with significant information about our movement, our projects, and many other things that may affect all projects, so access to them is important, too.I have no doubt that the Pakistani block is motivated by matters that have nothing to do with free knowledge or the Wikimedia mission. If I was a betting woman, I'd say that this may be an attempt to avoid a public uproar about blocking Wikipedia itself, but with Commons being so much less visible, it's easier to block that project and wind up with essentially the same effect.I am aware that there are multiple language Wikipedias edited by our Pakistani editors. One possible interim solution might be ensuring that images can be uploaded directly to those Wikipedia projects, and copies of Commons images be hosted on those projects. Some Wikipedias retained their own project-specific media storage, and many of their policies, procedures and guidelines could be used as a framework for the Pakistani-languages wikis to develop their own processes. As English is one of Pakistan's official languages, it would be worthwhile to have a discussion on English Wikipedia to work on this, too. Bots located outside of Pakistan could be used to both bring images to those Wikipedias and to copy their images over to Commons for global use.Of course, the longer-term goal is to have the block lifted entirely. What I am suggesting is a mitigation strategy only.Risker/AnneOn Tue, 19 Mar 2024 at 13:17, Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayyumc@gmail.com> wrote:Hello Mr JamesCertainly, using a VPN is a workaround, but it's worth noting that obtaining an IP block exemption is still necessary to edit Commons, and this is not always feasible for all users. Many may not even be aware of its existence. For instance, I couldn't edit Commons since October 2020 until I discovered the option for IP ban exemption. .And because of this, contributions to Commons from Pakistan have significantly dwindled. For instance, I recall organizing Wiki Loves Monuments Pakistan from 2014, where we used to receive thousands of images annually. However, in recent years, the number of uploads has drastically declined, with only a maximum of 100 photos being uploaded each year. This trend underscores the challenges Pakistani users face in accessing and contributing to the site.--Saqib Qayyum_______________________________________________On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:55 PM James Heilman <jmh649@gmail.com> wrote:Can you not just use a VPN?JamesOn Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:29 PM Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayyumc@gmail.com> wrote:_______________________________________________TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I am writing to you as a concerned volunteer from Pakistan regarding a critical issue that has been persisting for several years now. Despite multiple attempts to communicate this matter to members of the WMF's communication team, there has been a disappointing lack of response or acknowledgment.
For the past several years, Commons has been blocked in Pakistan. While Wikipedia was briefly blocked last year, the swift response from both Pakistani and international news media led to its unblocking. However, the blockade of Commons, being a less prominent site in comparison, has gone largely unnoticed.
Furthermore, several journalists I have spoken to have also expressed frustration over their attempts to reach out to WMF staff regarding this issue, only to receive no response.
I urge the WMF to prioritize this matter and take immediate action to address the ongoing blockage of Commons in Pakistan.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.--Saqib Qayyum
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