[Foundation-l] Controversial content software status - the image filter disguised under a new label

[Richard Symonds]

I'm speaking as an individual here, not on behalf of my chapter.

The problem that the English language Wikipedia has that the German 
language one does not, is that we cover countries as far apart as the 
libertarian micronation of 'Sealand 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand>' in the UK, the 
deepest parts of the US bible belt, and areas such as Pakistan and 
India, which have sizeable English-speaking populations and a very 
strong religious vein. With such a diverse worldwide readership on one 
language, it is only natural that people from the bible belt /do/ have a 
say in whether or not having an image filter is appropriate. We owe it 
to these people to make sure that Wikipedia is not blocked in their 
countries.

Andreas raises some good points, and while I don't agree with him 
/completely/, I do feel that the current filtering system on the English 
projects is simply not working as well as it could. That said, it's not 
an insurmountable problem, and I think most of the global community (all 
languages included) would agree that a easier-to-use filter system is 
needed. I don't think it's helpful to use comparisons to the "bible 
belt" or "English speaking attacks". My wife is from the bible belt and 
is really quite reasonable (most of the time...)

Richard Symonds


On 10/03/2012 11:26, Möller, Carsten wrote:
>
> I would like it the other way:
> Why should some minorities force a worldwide project to obay their point of view regarding images or other controversial content?
> Why should the german speaking community collect funds for this filtering and hiding project?
> Every community is free to discuss which image is shown on a article by article basis.
> And they have the option to use some tricks to show a certain image only after a second click, if they find that approbiate.
>
> The German, Austrian and Swiss chapters would love to keep their share of the fundraiser in Europe and have a separate "eurocommons" without the sometimes funny attacks by english speaking users on some images. That would also avoid taxproblems on this side of the pond.
> I think our financial stake is big enough.
>
> Ist not the biblebelt or Hisbollah or Syria or Putin to dicte the rules.
>
> Carsten Möller
> Hamburg Germany
>
>
>> One thing I've never understood is why the Board wants to
>> allow the German
>> Wikipedia community to dictate what will be done in Commons, English
>> Wikipedia, and dozens of other projects that the German
>> community has no
>> stake in.
>>
>> If the German Wikipedia does not want the image filter, then
>> let them opt
>> out. They genuinely need it less than most other projects ?
>> they serve a
>> culturally homogeneous language region whose standards are very
>> progressive, and they are generally more judicious in the way they use
>> explicit content.
>>
>> But it is not fair to say that other projects can't have the
>> image filter,
>> just because the Germans don't want it, or need it.
>>
>> German Wikipedia has Pending Changes, English Wikipedia
>> doesn't. Did we
>> tell the Germans that because English Wikipedia gave Pending Changes a
>> thumbs-down, it was verboten for the Germans to have it?
>>
>> It's not the German community's place to dictate global WMF policy.
>>
>> Andreas
>>
>
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