[Foundation-l] How SOPA will hurt the free web and Wikipedia

[Mateus Nobre]

> At some point of time we'll have to articulate ourselves politically.

When that day comes call me, I'll join the party asap.

Wikimedia Foundation makes me create new values, about copyright, about knowledge and about freedom. I think (talking about that list) everyone see it at the same way, we're connected with these values. It's like a political party, really. 

But the day Wikimedia Foundation would say:
 ''Dear Wikimedians, from now Wikimedia Foundation will fight publicily against all kinds of censorships, all kinds of dictatorships. We ask you to go to streets, do manifestations in our name.''
we will simple quick away the NPOV pillar.

And with no-NPOV, it'll open to criticize the articles about China, for example. The articles about SOPA, even!
Can you imagine?

As a serious encylopedia, and a serious foundation, WMF can't defend political visions. But as serious WIKIPEDIANS, and serious WIKIMEDIANS, we will do it.

_____________________
MateusNobre
MetalBrasil on Wikimedia projects
(+55) 85 88393509
              30440865


> From: millosh at gmail.com
> Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:05:04 +0100
> To: foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] How SOPA will hurt the free web and Wikipedia
> 
> On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 21:38, Mateus Nobre <mateus.nobre at live.co.uk> wrote:
> > It's complex, Milos.
> >
> > We are not activists. Being a volunteer in Wikimedia do not torn ourselves activists.
> >
> > It could be, but the option to be a volunteer in Wikipedia is just a option to share the free knowledge, not about political issues.
> >
> > I totally agree to fight against censorships in Internet and in real life, I agree with that. And I fight against that. We can, as people and citizens; But Wikimedia Foundation can't, cause we can't force the volunteers to agree that visions.
> 
> I know that it's complex, of course. And I know that it was necessary
> to see that our bunker is on the front line to realize that it's
> better to help others before.
> 
> > We're not a political party (yet?)
> 
> At some point of time we'll have to articulate ourselves politically.
> There is relatively clear set of values behind our movement and there
> are clear benefits which all humans are getting thanks to our work.
> Pretending that we are apolitical makes our position worse and
> inevitably leads to the crisis, like this one is.
> 
> Leadership inside of one network, no matter how loose the connections
> are inside of that network, has responsibility to raise and articulate
> relevant political issues, as well. And I am glad to see that Jimmy
> has taken at least the articulation role in this case.
> 
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