Just to clarify, at least in my case, the embedded Commons files were visible on Wikimedia projects (including the English Wikipedia) when I was in Pakistan. I just could not open them on Commons or upload any files.
Best Yaroslav On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 7:13 PM Risker <risker...@gmail.com> wrote: > VPNs and IP block exemption may or may not be useful for contributing to > Commons, but contribution is not the only thing at issue here. > > The purpose of Commons is to act as a media repository for (a) all > Wikimedia projects and (b) the world as a whole, without cost or licensing > issues. Every day, hundreds if not thousands of Commons files are used in > news media, academia, and other places outside of Wikimedia projects. > Commons files appear in the majority of Wikimedia articles. Therefore, > free and open access to Wikimedia Commons as part of the knowledge > available to all of humanity is a major objective. It's also where we, as > a community, store useful documents and files associated with significant > information about our movement, our projects, and many other things that > may affect all projects, so access to them is important, too. > > I have no doubt that the Pakistani block is motivated by matters that have > nothing to do with free knowledge or the Wikimedia mission. If I was a > betting woman, I'd say that this may be an attempt to avoid a public uproar > about blocking Wikipedia itself, but with Commons being so much less > visible, it's easier to block that project and wind up with essentially the > same effect. > > I am aware that there are multiple language Wikipedias edited by our > Pakistani editors. One possible interim solution might be ensuring that > images can be uploaded directly to those Wikipedia projects, and copies of > Commons images be hosted on those projects. Some Wikipedias retained their > own project-specific media storage, and many of their policies, procedures > and guidelines could be used as a framework for the Pakistani-languages > wikis to develop their own processes. As English is one of Pakistan's > official languages, it would be worthwhile to have a discussion on English > Wikipedia to work on this, too. Bots located outside of Pakistan could be > used to both bring images to those Wikipedias and to copy their images over > to Commons for global use. > > Of course, the longer-term goal is to have the block lifted entirely. What > I am suggesting is a mitigation strategy only. > > Risker/Anne > > On Tue, 19 Mar 2024 at 13:17, Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayy...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hello Mr James >> >> Certainly, using a VPN is a workaround, but it's worth noting that >> obtaining an IP block exemption is still necessary to edit Commons, and >> this is not always feasible for all users. Many may not even be aware of >> its existence. For instance, I couldn't edit Commons since October 2020 >> until I discovered the option for IP ban exemption. . >> >> And because of this, contributions to Commons from Pakistan have >> significantly dwindled. For instance, I recall organizing Wiki Loves >> Monuments Pakistan from 2014, where we used to receive thousands of images >> annually. However, in recent years, the number of uploads has drastically >> declined, with only a maximum of 100 photos being uploaded each year. This >> trend underscores the challenges Pakistani users face in accessing and >> contributing to the site. >> -- >> Saqib Qayyum >> >> >> On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:55 PM James Heilman <jmh...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Can you not just use a VPN? >>> >>> James >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:29 PM Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayy...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: >>>> >>>> I am writing to you as a concerned volunteer from Pakistan regarding a >>>> critical issue that has been persisting for several years now. Despite >>>> multiple attempts to communicate this matter to members of the WMF's >>>> communication team, there has been a disappointing lack of response or >>>> acknowledgment. >>>> >>>> For the past several years, Commons has been blocked in Pakistan. While >>>> Wikipedia was briefly blocked last year, the swift response from both >>>> Pakistani and international news media led to its unblocking. However, the >>>> blockade of Commons, being a less prominent site in comparison, has gone >>>> largely unnoticed. >>>> >>>> Furthermore, several journalists I have spoken to have also expressed >>>> frustration over their attempts to reach out to WMF staff regarding this >>>> issue, only to receive no response. >>>> >>>> I urge the WMF to prioritize this matter and take immediate action to >>>> address the ongoing blockage of Commons in Pakistan. >>>> >>>> Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. >>>> -- >>>> Saqib Qayyum >>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Saqib >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> 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/H5SMMTKRTUI5QLDKOCLZNWCABGDK3UHL/ >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> James Heilman >>> MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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/53DBHAHGEAWIH5VI2X7YMEWYSWDHCBXM/ >>> 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/SPUJHE3YFDHS2OBQT6KTJOFK7WOSGDZF/ >> 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/RHJD67ZEZSAJNT25M6JUQ3OK5HB5Q3NC/ > 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/BJTVQEL3G7H6U3ULROWQNZSYTU5MV2MG/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
