[Advocacy Advisors] Wikipedia Zero and net neutrality

[Mallory Knodel]

On 08/03/2014 03:17 PM, Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov wrote:
> Unfortunately some of our worse fears are becoming reality. Truth is,
> Wikimedia, due to its innner conflict in this case has always been too
> weak and vulnerable to have an active position on a red hot issue like
> net neutrality. We're torn between the awareness that we thrive only
> because of an equal internet and the logical wish to spread our
> awesome projects.
This is quite a telling paragraph. And I think it's at the heart of the
discussion.

If your choice is between an open and equal internet and a successful
Wikipedia, you must chose an open and equal internet.

After only a short 20 years with the internet as we know it, the
greatest risk is balkanisation. Please do not be so caught up in
Wikipedia's awesomeness (it is indeed awesome!) as to not see the long
term needs of humanity. With Facebook it's really easy to see that they
want Facebook Zero for world domination. You're admitting here that this
too is the reason that Wikipedia Zero should exist.

Wikipedia has been hugely successful because of the conditions of an
open internet. Closing that down, violating net neutrality, creating
precedent for select free services means that there can never be another
brave invention like Wikipedia.

-Mallory
-- 
Mallory Knodel
Association for Progressive Communications :: apc.org <https://apc.org>
gpg fingerprint :: E3EB 63E0 65A3 B240 BCD9 B071 0C32 A271 BD3C C780
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