[Foundation-l] Blackout at Italian Wikipedia

[Ilario Valdelli]

On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 3:40 PM, Nathan <nawrich at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 9:12 AM, Donaldo Papero <pap3rinik at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> Here are the facts: the Italian parliament will discuss within few days –
>> and most likely approve – a law which, among the other things, will
>> introduce the duty, for every web site (included, and not limited to,
>> Wikipedia) to publish amendments to previously published information.
>>
>> According to the proposal (
>> http://www.senato.it/service/PDF/PDFServer/BGT/00484629.pdf), the required
>> amendment cannot be modified, nor commented, and must be placed in article’s
>> body, in the same format and with the same visibility of the allegedly
>> defaming text.
>> Moreover: the amendment must be published upon every request, without taking
>> into account whether the information is true or not and whether references
>> are available for it or not.
>>
>> Also, please, be aware of the fact that (as for the recent Google and
>> Microsoft cases) the principle that the proposed law is going to introduce
>> will be applicable to “all” sites, not only Italian’s: if somebody from
>> Italy will post any information on, say, en.wikip, the rule will make it
>> mandatory for en.wikip to post an amendment, if required. Which, at least,
>> will mean incoming legal issues or inquiries to be managed by WMF, with
>> related expenses. In short words: this rule, if approved, will be a complete
>> mess for Wikipedia.
>>
>> Because of such a risk (it’s easily understandable that this rule will make
>> encyclopedia articles as pure “frames” for unchangeable text imposed by
>> others), the Italian community has decided, by a vast majority (see
>> http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Bar/Discussioni/Comma_29_e_Wikipedia)
>>  to lock both read and write access to encyclopedia articles and to publish
>> the following text as full screen sitenotice:
>> http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utente:Vituzzu/comunicato (an English
>> translation is available here:
>> http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utente:Vituzzu/comunicato/en). This decision
>> will be implemented as soon as possible, during the next 12 hours.
>>
>> Giovanni AKA Pap3rinik (sysop at it.wikip)
>>
>>
>
>
> Hi Giovanni (or Donaldo?),
>
> Has anyone at it.wp been in touch with Foundation staff? Locking a
> major wiki seems like a pretty big step, perhaps they could provide
> some advice or resources? Am I correct in understanding this lock as a
> protest of the proposed law, since it hasn't been discussed or voted
> upon in parliament yet? Such a political protest seems like an
> unprecedented step for a Wikimedia project.
>
> Nathan
>

The question is that all Internet people in Italy is having strike
because the project of law can be stopped if not approved. If it will
be approved, it's harder to do something.

It means that any action must be done now.

Ilario