Hi,
There are various unanswered queries on the UCoC talk pages.[1][2] I wonder if you or someone else involved in drafting the UCoC could comment.
Several of these queries concern the wording of the Harassment section, in particular the "Disclosure of personal data (Doxing)" subsection included therein.[3] This subsection currently reads as follows (my emphasis):
"Disclosure of personal data (Doxing): sharing other contributors' private information, such as name, place of employment, physical or email address without their explicit consent either on the Wikimedia projects or elsewhere, *or sharing information concerning their Wikimedia activity outside the projects*."
1. As written, this literally means that Wikimedians will not be allowed to share "information concerning [other contributors'] Wikimedia activity outside the projects". While this may not be the intended meaning, it is the literal meaning – and reminiscent of Fight Club: "The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club."
Could you comment? Do you really mean to say that contributors are not allowed to communicate with any outside person about what happens on the projects?
How would this affect bloggers like the following:
https://genderdesk.wordpress.com/
https://wikipediocracy.com/2021/11/22/wikipedia-loves-stolen-art/
Or is this a case of the wording having gone awry?
2. The subsection mentions "place of employment". There are pages on Wikipedia, in project space and article space, that discuss contributors' place of employment. Examples are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Congressional_staffer_edits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangemoody_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki-PR_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology_editing_on_Wikipedia
Wikipedia editors and arbitrators have in the past commented on such cases to the media. Will this be forbidden under the new Universal Code of Conduct rules?
3. What about cases like the ones listed below? From the perspective of the UCoC, were any of the protagonists in these cases ("David r from Meth Productions", "Wifione", "Qworty") victims of harassment as a result of their activities being discussed on-wiki or elsewhere?
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/09/hari-rose-wikipedia-admitted
https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedia...
https://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/manipulating-wikipedia-promote-bogus-bus...
4. Another contributor has asked on the talk pages whether, according to the terms of the UCoC, they will be deemed guilty of harassment in the Wikimediaverse if they sue another contributor for libel and discuss their complaint in court. Another worries about contributors' ability to report child protection issues to the authorities.
Indeed, the WMF itself has at times alerted the authorities to suspicious activities on its sites and shared contributors' personal details (I recall a case where it appeared from postings on Wikipedia that a troubled teenager was contemplating a school shooting). Is the Universal Code of Conduct intended to put an end to such reports?
I would be grateful for a clarification of the impact the Universal Code of Conduct is intended to have on the above issues.
Best, Andreas
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Policy_text [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct#3_%E2%80%93_Unacce...
On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 3:13 AM Youngjin Ko yko-ctr@wikimedia.org wrote:
Thank you for your continued comments and ideas on the Universal Code of Conduct enforcement guidelines. Your responses have helped to build a stronger Universal Code of Conduct.
If you have not already provided your comments, now is the time as the drafting committee has been meeting to update the enforcement guidelines https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee/Phase_2_meeting_summaries [1]. The drafting committee wants to consider all comments as they make their updates. Please submit any comments by the end of November. The Committee hopes to finish its revisions before the end of the year, and the revised guidelines will be published as soon as they have been completed.
The next steps for the Universal Code of Conduct include conversations about ratification of the enforcement guidelines. There will be a conversation about ratification on Nov 29 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations/Roundtable_discussions 15:00 UTC [2] .
The Wikimedia Foundation will make recommendations to the Board of Trustees about the ratification of the guidelines in December. The recommendations will inform the next steps in the Universal Code of Conduct process.
Thank you for participating in the UCoC consultations! [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee... [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations... -- *Youngjin Ko *(he/him)
Movement Strategy and Governance facilitator Wikimedia Foundation _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/... To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org