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/Anne
On Tue, 19 Mar 2024 at 13:17, Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayyumc(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Hello Mr James
Certainly, 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(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Can you not just use a VPN?
James
On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:29 PM Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayyumc(a)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
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Saqib
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James Heilman
MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian
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