- Blocking a free knowledge repository = attack on freedom of speech and free
knowledge
- Suggesting VPN = suggesting to use the backdoor instead of fighting back for
free knowledge and freedom of speech
- Foundation is not interested in commons, previous archives informs that
mystery.
- One potential reason WMF not interested in Pakistan is, the country doesn't
have potential donors, or asking for the unblock might not help to attract the
global attention (unlike other big countries!) as global attention is a
superset of attention from donors. Money is the only known god for the
foundation.
- WMF communications does anything but communication, the name is a shame. If
it needs to bring a matter to public mailing lists to get heard, then
everything will collapse. Imagine a wikimedia movement, where everyone is
forwarding their previous mails to the foundation, to the public mailing lists,
since foundation didn't care ... ... (If it works, it works, and all should do
that)
Regards,
WikiInsaf
Insaf jarur milegi
On Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 at 12:13 AM, 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
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> James Heilman
>>> MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian
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>>
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