[Foundation-l] 86% of german users disagree with the introduction of the personal image filter

Tobias Oelgarte tobias.oelgarte at googlemail.com
Mon Sep 19 10:48:12 UTC 2011


Many contributers to the poll mentioned that the categorization by 
sensitivities is already a big problem in itself. At first, as you 
mentioned, it can be misused. Either by third parties which could use it 
for aggressive filtering (completely hidden/cot out images) or directly 
at the Wiki itself. Since we have many images with in comparison few 
active users, it would be very easy for influential groups to push there 
POV. Such minorities can easily get local majority and there is no way 
to defend against them with argumentation or sources. We have no 
arguments or sources for single images regarding sensitivities.

The second problem will be the categorization progress. We would 
categorize the images for others, not our selfs, and we also have no 
sources for argumentation. But there is another problem. We already 
discuss about the inclusion of images inside related articles discussion 
pages. While some image might not be appropriate for inclusion in one 
article, it might be the perfect, valuable, needed for understanding, 
maybe offensive illustration for another article. The categorization far 
away from the article, not visible to users who don't enable the filter, 
will not be related to article needs. So we will discuss at the article 
first and then again at the new battle field. It's not hard to believe 
that this will cost us much more time and effort as anything else really 
worthy we could do in the meantime. It's a fight against the symptoms of 
a cultural problem without actually tackling it. We just push it away.

Am 19.09.2011 11:42, schrieb Lodewijk:
> I understand that the details (well, quite big and relevant details) of this
> concept was the topic of the survey. So probably it has not been mapped out
> yet (because it was/is unknown), but that would be the next step.
>
> I also would like to make a sidenote: if the main argument of the German
> Wikipedians would be that this categorization an sich would be evil because
> it can be used by governments and ISP's etc, then I have to disappoint you:
> even if only one project would like to make the implementation of a filter
> possible for their readers, categorization would appear.
>
> Further, categorization of images will be happening likely on Commons (my
> guess) - so even if you opt out as German Wikipedia (although personally I
> think it would be more interesting to do a reader survey inside the German
> langauge visitors before deciding on that) it would not help that specific
> scenario.
>
> Lodewijk
>
> Am 19 de Setembro de 2011 09:47 schrieb David Gerard<dgerard at gmail.com>:
>
>> On 19 September 2011 06:28, David Levy<lifeisunfair at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>
>>> Additionally, if and when the WMF proudly announces the filters'
>>> introduction, the news media and general public won't accept "bad luck
>>> to those using the feature" as an excuse for its failure.
>>
>> Oh, yes. The trouble with a magical category is not just that it's
>> impossible to implement well - but that it's fraught as a public
>> relations move.
>>
>> What is the WMF going to be explicitly - and *implicitly* - promising
>> readers? What is the publicity plan? Has this actually been mapped out
>> at all?
>>
>>
>> - d.
>>
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