https://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Press:Statement_on_Terms_of_Use_enforcement
June 30, 2019
Wikimedia District of Columbia is deeply concerned by recent events that have occurred on the English Wikipedia, including community controversy regarding a ban imposed by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Protecting editors from harassment is crucial to the continued success of the Wikimedia movement. Many of us have been targets of harassment as a result of our contributions to the Wikimedia projects, and have witnessed harassment of our colleagues, and we are grateful to the Wikimedia Foundation's Trust & Safety team for their support in those incidents.
We make no judgement on the case at the center of the current controversy as the Foundation—as per long-standing practice to protect the privacy of all concerned—did not identify the specifics of the behavior publicly. We are not endorsing or opposing a specific case, policy, or process. However, in light of these events, we publicly affirm our support for the following principles:
- We support the Wikimedia Foundation's efforts in general to make the English Wikipedia welcoming and accessible to people of all backgrounds and gender identities. - We believe there are circumstances where the Wikimedia Foundation should take action against individual editors who violate the Terms of Use when it is necessary to protect people of all backgrounds and gender identities. - We support collaboration between the Foundation and the English Wikipedia community to inform the policies and processes surrounding these efforts. - We oppose the use of discriminatory, racist, and homophobic language in all Wikimedia discussions, and encourage the community to avoid it, regardless of context or intent.
Board of Directors Wikimedia District of Columbia
Thanks for the statement. I am pretty sure that everyone agrees with what is stated. However, the statement doesn't address the main and real issue. We have to identify the issue in order to take action against it. The said controversy doesn't have to do with preventing harassment - which is something we all agree that has to be done -, but it has to do with the way it was done. At the eyes of many community users, unnecessary lack of transparency was applied on this case with no chance for defense and no explanation on why it was no left to be solved by ArbCom.
If you are concerned - as I am -, I don't think we should discuss if harassment is good or bad. It is obviously bad. We should discuss the procedure and bring material for a real change.
Teles
*Lucas Teles*
*+55 (71) 99707 6409Steward and Ombudsman for Wikimedia projects. Administrator * *at Portuguese Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.Strategy Liaison for Wikimedia Foundation.*
Em dom, 30 de jun de 2019 às 16:32, Robert Fernandez wikigamaliel@gmail.com escreveu:
https://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Press:Statement_on_Terms_of_Use_enforcement
June 30, 2019
Wikimedia District of Columbia is deeply concerned by recent events that have occurred on the English Wikipedia, including community controversy regarding a ban imposed by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Protecting editors from harassment is crucial to the continued success of the Wikimedia movement. Many of us have been targets of harassment as a result of our contributions to the Wikimedia projects, and have witnessed harassment of our colleagues, and we are grateful to the Wikimedia Foundation's Trust & Safety team for their support in those incidents.
We make no judgement on the case at the center of the current controversy as the Foundation—as per long-standing practice to protect the privacy of all concerned—did not identify the specifics of the behavior publicly. We are not endorsing or opposing a specific case, policy, or process. However, in light of these events, we publicly affirm our support for the following principles:
- We support the Wikimedia Foundation's efforts in general to make the
English Wikipedia welcoming and accessible to people of all backgrounds and gender identities.
- We believe there are circumstances where the Wikimedia Foundation
should take action against individual editors who violate the Terms of Use when it is necessary to protect people of all backgrounds and gender identities.
- We support collaboration between the Foundation and the English
Wikipedia community to inform the policies and processes surrounding these efforts.
- We oppose the use of discriminatory, racist, and homophobic language
in all Wikimedia discussions, and encourage the community to avoid it, regardless of context or intent.
Board of Directors Wikimedia District of Columbia _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Hoi, In the first instance this is not about preventing harassment, it is the reckoning off harassment past. A reckoning of actors of what they see as acceptable or reasonable behavior. This has been on the radar for at least as long as Wikimania London. They could have seen this coming in the recent policies about safe practices. Now the chickens have come to roost. It is not about particular instances, there masy have been the one that triggered all this but that is in essence inconsequential.
Wikipedia is not a democracy where the system is to be gamed only by those who have a stake in the process. With this crackdown we may lose quality contributors in the short term. That is sad. However when this has as a result an environment that is more welcoming it is well worth it. Thanks, GerardM
On Mon, 1 Jul 2019 at 00:46, Lucas Teles teleswiki@gmail.com wrote:
Thanks for the statement. I am pretty sure that everyone agrees with what is stated. However, the statement doesn't address the main and real issue. We have to identify the issue in order to take action against it. The said controversy doesn't have to do with preventing harassment - which is something we all agree that has to be done -, but it has to do with the way it was done. At the eyes of many community users, unnecessary lack of transparency was applied on this case with no chance for defense and no explanation on why it was no left to be solved by ArbCom.
If you are concerned - as I am -, I don't think we should discuss if harassment is good or bad. It is obviously bad. We should discuss the procedure and bring material for a real change.
Teles
*Lucas Teles*
*+55 (71) 99707 6409Steward and Ombudsman for Wikimedia projects. Administrator * *at Portuguese Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.Strategy Liaison for Wikimedia Foundation.*
Em dom, 30 de jun de 2019 às 16:32, Robert Fernandez < wikigamaliel@gmail.com> escreveu:
https://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Press:Statement_on_Terms_of_Use_enforcement
June 30, 2019
Wikimedia District of Columbia is deeply concerned by recent events that have occurred on the English Wikipedia, including community controversy regarding a ban imposed by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Protecting editors from harassment is crucial to the continued success of the Wikimedia movement. Many of us have been targets of harassment as a result of our contributions to the Wikimedia projects, and have witnessed harassment of our colleagues, and we are grateful to the Wikimedia Foundation's Trust & Safety team for their support in those incidents.
We make no judgement on the case at the center of the current controversy as the Foundation—as per long-standing practice to protect the privacy of all concerned—did not identify the specifics of the behavior publicly. We are not endorsing or opposing a specific case, policy, or process.
However,
in light of these events, we publicly affirm our support for the
following
principles:
- We support the Wikimedia Foundation's efforts in general to make the
English Wikipedia welcoming and accessible to people of all
backgrounds
and gender identities.
- We believe there are circumstances where the Wikimedia Foundation
should take action against individual editors who violate the Terms of Use when it is necessary to protect people of all backgrounds and gender identities.
- We support collaboration between the Foundation and the English
Wikipedia community to inform the policies and processes surrounding these efforts.
- We oppose the use of discriminatory, racist, and homophobic language
in all Wikimedia discussions, and encourage the community to avoid it, regardless of context or intent.
Board of Directors Wikimedia District of Columbia _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
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