Thank you for speaking out. You've articulated many of my vague concerns with the Foundation's communications.
On Sun, Jan 8, 2023, 1:47 PM Amir Sarabadani <ladsgr...@gmail.com> wrote: > (putting my long-term volunteer of Persian Wikipedia hat on) > > I first want to mention that out of 16 users banned by the office action, > 10 were mostly active in Arabic Wikipedia and 6 were mostly active in > Persian Wikipedia. I know it’s confusing but Arabic and Persian are > completely different languages belonging to even different families and > they only share the same script. An Arab person can read Persian but they > won’t be able to understand anything except some loanwords. I’m saying this > to emphasize they were basically two major office actions affecting > different types of users. For example, the users banned in fawiki have > mostly edited pro the Iranian government which meant they actually edited > against the interest of the Saudis. I can’t comment if the 6 users were > affiliated with the Iranian government or not. > > I don't know about the users in arwiki but the reception of bans on fawiki > has been overwhelmingly positive. I have seen at least twenty different > positive reactions, publicly and privately. And I personally welcome those > actions and the only major criticism I got from most users of fawiki were > that “it was overdue” or “user foo and bar are not banned”. > > > We understand the desire to take action or speak out. Know that we need > to act in the interests of any volunteer whose safety is under threat. > > I’m not a communication or T&S expert. I don’t know the details of this > case. So take what I’m saying with a mountain of salt. A mere suggestion. > Iranian activists have been advising families of people arrested for > political reasons in Iran to speak up. To make noise. To interview outside > of Iran. In many cases it has actually helped those prisoners by increasing > the international pressure. The lawyers appointed to Iranian activists have > all been instructed by the government to tell the families “not to make a > noise and it’ll all be fixed” and usually, the exact opposite happens and > the families speak up after they receive the body of their children. Here > is a grim example by Amnesty international > <https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/iran-authorities-covering-up-their-crimes-of-child-killings-by-coercing-families-into-silence/>. > Again, this is a very specific case to Iran and I can’t really say what WMF > should or shouldn’t do. > > On the topic of communication: > > But it seems WMF’s communication strategy here is to beat around the > bushes. Press releases that deny very specific things that honestly don’t > even need denying but by doing so if people don’t know specifics of the > movement or don’t read it very very carefully, they might mistake it as > denying all government interference. That is exactly what happens > afterwards with many major media and WMF doesn’t try to correct the record. > > For example, Here WMF has denied that the Saudi government tried to > infiltrate Wikimedia’s staff. That is correct and doesn’t even need > denying. But it doesn’t deny that the government tried to infiltrate the > volunteer community or push or control content in Wikipedia. The thing is > that most people are not aware of the staff vs long-term volunteer > distinction. The result? The press responds with “WMF denied allegation of > Saudi’s interference in Wikipedia” Here is an example from BBC Persian (a > reputable source in Persian): > https://www.bbc.com/persian/articles/cprnv1np9y2o I can find many more. > > Or the fact that these 16 users were related to the Saudi’s government. > WMF denied that because at least 6 of them were related to Iran. That > doesn’t negate the fact that *some of them* might have been affiliated with > the Saudi government (to emphasize again, I don’t know if any of them did, > I have no access to the cases. And to be honest I don’t want to know). The > result? Press goes “these 16 banns were not related to the Saudi government > at all”. > > IMHO, this is causing harm. For example, the Ars has released > <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/01/wikipedia-admin-jailed-for-32-years-after-alleged-saudi-spy-infiltration/>: > “It's wildly irresponsible for international organizations and businesses > to assume their affiliates can ever operate independently of, or safely > from, Saudi government control”. This also makes us (the movement) look > very naive. A government that kills dissidents in its consulate or (in case > of Iranian government) rapes people in prison > <https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html> > as a scare tactic, tries to interfere with Scotish indepence referendum > <https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-iran-meddled-in-scotland-s-independence-referendum/>, > or makes 92 fake news websites in US > <https://www.zdnet.com/article/us-seizes-iranian-government-domains-masked-as-legitimate-news-outlets/>to > spread disinformation would not try to interfere with Wikipedia and > consider it untouchable. > > I can give another example, In October 2019, Persian media ran an article > on interference of the Iranian government in Persian Wikipedia. WMF > released this > <https://fa.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7:%D9%82%D9%87%D9%88%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87/%DA%AF%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7%DA%AF%D9%88%D9%86&diff=prev&oldid=27376349>: > “The allegations of government interference in these media articles were > examined by Persian Wikipedia volunteers and Wikimedia staff, but were > found to be unsubstantiated.” That statement denies the allegations made in > the original article but doesn't deny any government interference. You can > guess what happened next. Major press in Persian (outside of Iran) went > with (emphasize mine) “WMF said they researched but couldn’t find *any* > interference by the Iranian government” (Iran international > <https://old.iranintl.com/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4-%D9%88-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C/%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%85%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85>, > I can find more). WMF didn’t try to fix the mistake of the press. That > action by WMF Comm felt like a slap on the face of me and many others and > what we all went through. > > Sorry for the long email. > > Am So., 8. Jan. 2023 um 16:46 Uhr schrieb Gerard Meijssen < > gerard.meijs...@gmail.com>: > >> Hoi, >> I know the license... is it wise to use these pictures? What is it that >> the WMF advises? >> Thanks, >> GerardM >> >> On Sun, 8 Jan 2023 at 14:38, Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Dear all, >>> >>> Fjmustak (Farah Jack Mustaklem, a recent candidate for the WMF board) >>> has uploaded a picture of the two jailed Wikipedians, Osama Khalid >>> (User:OsamaK) and Ziyad Alsufyani (User:Ziad), to Commons: >>> >>> >>> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Osama_Khalid_and_Ziyad_Alsufyani.jpg >>> >>> Andreas >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Jan 8, 2023 at 12:41 AM Wikimedia Trust and Safety < >>> c...@wikimedia.org> wrote: >>> >>>> Hello everyone, >>>> >>>> We would like to thank you, Nanour, for the suggestion and apologize >>>> that the suggestion was necessary. We have now translated our message >>>> to the community into Arabic and posted a further update >>>> <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7:%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86/%D9%85%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA#Foundation_statement> >>>> there, as we were made aware that much of the erroneous information >>>> spreading in the press and on social media is causing a lot of distress >>>> within our Arabic Wikipedia communities. Here is the updated text: >>>> >>>> Our investigation and these bans are not connected to the arrest of >>>> these two users. The ban decision impacted 16 users, not all of whom were >>>> administrators, from Arabic and Farsi Wikipedia. As stated below, we have >>>> no reason to believe that these individuals are all residents of Saudi >>>> Arabia; on the contrary, this seems extremely unlikely. Further, we imagine >>>> you are all aware that editors are volunteers, not paid by the Foundation, >>>> and that the Foundation does not have offices or staff in Saudi Arabia. >>>> >>>> While, as stated, the December office action is unrelated to the >>>> arrests of two Wikimedians in Saudi Arabia, the safety of Wikimedia >>>> volunteers always remains our utmost concern. We understand the desire to >>>> take action or speak out. Know that we need to act in the interests of any >>>> volunteer whose safety is under threat. As indicated in yesterday’s >>>> message, additional publicity around such cases can cause harm, as can >>>> speculation and misinformation. We are confident that everyone values the >>>> safety of their fellow volunteers and can understand the constraints this >>>> might create. >>>> >>>> Best regards, >>>> WMF Office/Trust and Safety >>>> >>>> >>>> On Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 7:26 PM Wikimedia Trust and Safety < >>>> c...@wikimedia.org> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hello everyone, >>>>> >>>>> Over the last couple of days, there have been several media reports >>>>> about the Foundation’s most recent office action, taken on December 6 >>>>> <https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/NJUOKYM2UTKFH53OKGIXW6OSEEDUI3AL/>. >>>>> More are certain to follow. These media reports are based on a release >>>>> from >>>>> SMEX and Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) that contains many >>>>> material inaccuracies. Some of the errors will be obvious to our community >>>>> - for perhaps the most obvious, the report states that the 16 users are >>>>> all >>>>> based in Saudi Arabia . This is unlikely to be the case. While we do not >>>>> know where these volunteers actually reside, the bans of any volunteers >>>>> who >>>>> may have been Saudi were part of a much broader action globally banning 16 >>>>> editors across the MENA region. Indeed, many of them are not active in the >>>>> Arabic language projects. These organizations did not share the statement >>>>> with the Foundation, and “sources of knowledge” as cited in their release >>>>> can get things wrong. In addition, we do not have staff in the country >>>>> named and never have, contrary to a message put out by the same groups on >>>>> social media. >>>>> >>>>> As we noted in December in our statement, we are unable to discuss >>>>> Foundation office actions in detail. The Foundation always lists >>>>> accounts banned as a result of its investigations >>>>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WMF_Global_Ban_Policy#List_of_global_bans_placed_by_the_Wikimedia_Foundation>. >>>>> It is our goal to be as transparent as we can be within essential >>>>> protection policies, which is why we do not ban in secret, but instead >>>>> disclose accounts impacted and (when large numbers are involved) have >>>>> disclosed the rationale. >>>>> >>>>> The roots of our December action stretch back over several years. We >>>>> were initially contacted by outside experts who made us aware about >>>>> concerns they had about Farsi Wikipedia. We can’t comment on that report >>>>> right now, but it will be published by that organization soon. This report >>>>> not only contributed to our August 23, 2021 modification of our >>>>> non-disclosure agreement >>>>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Confidentiality_agreement_for_nonpublic_information&diff=21925066&oldid=21609723> >>>>> to make it harder for rights-holders to be coerced, but led to further >>>>> evaluation of issues across MENA. The December bans were the culmination >>>>> of >>>>> those evaluations. >>>>> >>>>> Wikimedia is, as mentioned above, an open knowledge platform, and it >>>>> thrives on open participation. Investigations and global bans are not >>>>> things that any of us take lightly, but the Foundation is committed to >>>>> supporting the knowledge-sharing models that have created so many valuable >>>>> information resources in hundreds of languages across the world. Our first >>>>> line of defense of our Terms of Use >>>>> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_use#4._Refraining_from_Certain_Activities> >>>>> are our volunteers themselves. Where issues present a credible threat of >>>>> harm to our users and to the security of Wikimedia platforms, we will do >>>>> the best we can to protect both. >>>>> >>>>> We trust and hope that our communities understand that misinformation >>>>> about this action has the potential to cause harm to the individuals >>>>> involved. We believe in the incredible value produced by our volunteers >>>>> across the globe, but even so we recognize that being found in >>>>> contravention of a website’s Terms of Use — even in a manner that >>>>> organization finds serious enough to warrant a ban — is not the equivalent >>>>> of being convicted of any crime. Accordingly, we ask you to please be >>>>> conscious of the real people involved, in the spirit of our long >>>>> established respect for living people on our sites >>>>> <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Resolution:Biographies_of_living_people>. >>>>> We realize that it is tempting to speculate, but we do ask you all to >>>>> recall that people’s employment options, their relationships, and even >>>>> their physical safety may be compromised by speculation. >>>>> >>>>> If anyone feels unsafe on Wikimedia projects, please use the local >>>>> community processes or contact us. The Foundation and community will work >>>>> together or in parallel to enhance the safety of all volunteers. To >>>>> contact >>>>> the Trust & Safety team please email c...@wikimedia.org . >>>>> >>>>> Best regards, >>>>> WMF Office/Trust and Safety >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, >>>> guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines >>>> and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>>> Public archives at >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/6CVH4JDZMB6ED7ITX767CGDZGUGU6AYS/ >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/4LOCI7Z5J5UR6UB27YB5OBC6BLLJZTSZ/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/ZYAP353ANYWZBFV3SVFH6FFG47JEYMHD/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > > > > -- > Amir (he/him) > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/VSKCLQWLJ3XYLSBBADEL7FMLKXYYBY6X/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
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