2021 Wikimedia Foundation actions on the Chinese Wikipedia

Logo of Wikimedians of Mainland China, the user group being investigated in the action

On September 13, 2021, the Wikimedia Foundation took official action on the Chinese Wikipedia after investigating users from Wikimedians of Mainland China (WMC or WMCUG), an unaffiliated Wikipedia user group.

At 16:13, September 13, 2021 GMT (00:13, September 14, 2021 Beijing Time), the Wikimedia Foundation globally banned seven accounts from editing Wikipedia, revoked the administrative rights of twelve accounts, and warned twelve other users.[1][2] Four of the top ten most active administrators on Chinese Wikipedia had their rights revoked.[3] These actions were announced on September 13, 2021 GMT by Maggie Dennis, Vice President of Community Resilience and Sustainability for the Legal Department at Wikimedia Foundation.

Background

Despite being censored in mainland China, and as VPNs are normally not allowed to edit Wikipedia, Wikipedia administrators from China have permitted IP block exemption for a select number of mainland users. Such users are recruited to change the editorial content on Wikipedia in support of China's viewpoint and/or to support the election of pro-Chinese government administrators on Wikipedia, with the aim of gaining control of Wikipedia as part of the Chinese Communist Party's coordinated efforts to push their preferred narrative on platforms that have respected worldwide credibility.[4][5] There has also been an exodus of volunteer editors leaving Baidu Baike, a domestic competitor beset by problems of self-censorship and commercialization, to join Chinese Wikipedia because the "contributors wanted the privilege of working on a higher-quality internet encyclopedia" that also "carries a great deal of international power".[6][7] Observers have suggested that such moves are not just due to patriotic mainlanders but a "larger structural coordinated strategy the government has to manipulate these platforms" beside Wikipedia, such as Twitter and Facebook.[8]

Comments

In an announcement on Wikimedia about the actions, Maggie Dennis acknowledged the radical nature of the Foundation's actions but stressed that the decision was based on a number of considerations and an in-depth investigation.[3] The Foundation decided to take action after Maggie Dennis told the media that editors had tried to manipulate the content of articles as well as the election of administrators and that other editors had been physically harmed. However, she did not intend to accuse the Chinese government.[9][2][Note 1]

In response, Wikimedians of Mainland China posted an open letter on Qiuwen [zh], calling the Wikimedia Foundation's actions baseless (莫須有) and declaring its intention to resist the crackdown with practical action.[10][11] The Global Times, a tabloid officially owned and operated by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, alleged that the Wikimedia Foundation "purged" the Chinese editors.[12]

In an interview with the BBC Tech Tent program commenting on the latest obsessions about China, Maryana Iskander, the new Chief Executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, emphasized the autonomy of the Wikipedia community and said, "One of the very early things that I've learned in this process is that certainly the Wikimedia Foundation does not play a role in setting editorial policy and that these are the debates that happen in communities."[13][14]

Jimmy Wales, the cofounder of Wikipedia, commented on these actions in an interview with BBC: "I have deep experience of talking to people all over the world, and the idea that people in China, for example, are so brainwashed that they can't see that neutrality is just false," but said "The idea that we are excluding China, is absurd. We welcome with open arms editors from China."[15]

Subsequent events

On October 7, 2021, at the 62nd session of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the People's Republic of China voted against the Wikimedia Foundation's application to become an official observer of the WIPO on the grounds that Wikipedia violated the "one-China principle" and "disseminated false information".[16] China was the only country out of the 193 members of the organization to vote against the WIPO application,[17] causing Wikimedia Foundation's application to fail.

A Wikimedian showed a screenshot to Voice of America of an announcement made by globally locked user "Walter Grassroot" in the Wikimedians of Mainland China QQ group after the foundation's application was rejected. According to the announcement, after the foundation blocked Chinese users, Chinese Wikimedians submitted relevant documents to the Chinese Embassy in Geneva through various channels. Walter Grassroot also suggested that the failure of the foundation's application was good news.[18] From 2021 to 2024, all attempts by the Wikimedia Foundation and local chapters to join WIPO failed.[19]

Qiuwen Baike

Qiuwen Baike
求闻百科
Type of site
Online encyclopedia
Available inSimplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese (support traditional and simplified conversion)
Predecessor(s)Chinese Wikipedia
OwnerWuxi Gongbi Quanshu Technology Company Limited (formerly Wikimedians of Mainland China) [citation needed]
URLwww.qiuwenbaike.cn
CommercialNo
Content license
CC Attribution / Share-Alike 4.0
Main article: Qiuwen Baike

In an interview with the BBC in late October 2021, globally-banned WMC member Yan "Techyan" Enming and 6 other users said the user group was attempting to create a "Chinese version of Wikipedia",[20] a platform that would represent Beijing's views on some political issues for people in mainland China to access without a VPN with oversight from the People's Republic of China government and would use some of Wikipedia's content.[20]

In December 2021, WMC member Techyan told Fast Company that "a tech giant" was negotiating a partnership with them, and that more than 40 Chinese Wikipedia editors had joined Qiuwen with has a total of 200 active editors. and that people would be involved in both Wikipedia and Qiuwen.[21]

In February 2022, ByteDance's subsidiary Baike.com denied the existence of a partnership between ByteDance and WMC to provide technical and financial support for Qiuwen baike.[22]

References

  1. ^ Chen Guanrong. "內部編輯遭恐嚇，維基媒體基金會拔除多名「中國大陸維基人用戶組」成員" [Internal editors were intimidated, and the Wikimedia Foundation removed several members of the "Mainland China Wikipedia User Group"]. TechNews 科技新報 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "维基百科以亲中势力渗透为由封禁"中国大陆维基人用户组"七名编辑" (in Chinese). BBC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b 鄭樂捷 (September 15, 2021). "維基封鎖7名中國大陸用戶 指為保障用戶安全" (in Chinese). 美国之音. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. September 16, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  8. ^ "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "忧渗透与起底风险 维基百科对中国编辑下禁令" (in Chinese). 德國之聲. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "維基百科禁 7 內地用戶 指有滲透起底風險 內地群組：準備鬥爭". 立場新聞 Stand News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  11. ^ 观察者网 (September 17, 2021). "维基百科封禁7名中国大陆编辑：他们想搞"渗透"". 新浪新闻 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "维基百科封杀7个中文编辑，仅仅因为他们拒绝涉中话题被污染" (in Chinese). 环球时报. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "Tech Tent: Wikipedia's editing war". BBC. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  14. ^ "Tech Tent – what next for Wikipedia?". BusinessGhana. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Wikipedia in Chinese editing war of words". BBC. October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Moody, Glyn (October 7, 2021). "If You Want To Know Why Section 230 Matters, Just Ask Wikimedia: Without It, There'd Be No Wikipedia". Techdirt. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "【維基百科】中方「一票反對」 「維基媒體基金」二度被拒聯合國機構". RFA. October 7, 2021. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  18. ^ 郑乐捷 (October 7, 2021). "中国再度以台湾为由 阻止维基媒体基金会申请成为世界知识产权组织观察员" (in Chinese). 美国之音. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "Wikimedia Foundation's Accreditation to World Intellectual Property Organization Blocked for a Fourth Time by China". wikimediafoundation.org. Wikimedia Foundation. July 11, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "維基百科移除親北京編輯 被逐者將建「中國版維基」". BBC News Chinese (in Chinese). October 26, 2021. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  21. ^ "The war over Chinese Wikipedia is a warning for the open internet". Fast Company. December 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  22. ^ "传字节跳动与中文维基百科人员合作创建新"求闻百科"，官方称不属实" (in Chinese). 界面新闻.

Notes

  1. ^ Chinese: 我不能够就此将矛头指向中国政府

Read other articles:

Camar tiga-jari kaki-merah

Camar tiga-jari kaki-merah Rissa brevirostris Red-legged kittiwakes, St. George Island, AlaskaStatus konservasiRentanIUCN22694502 TaksonomiKerajaanAnimaliaFilumChordataKelasAvesOrdoCharadriiformesFamiliLaridaeGenusRissaSpesiesRissa brevirostris (Bruch, 1853) Tata namaProtonimLarus brevirostris lbs Rissa brevirostris atau camar tiga-jari kaki-merah adalah spesies burung laut dalam famili camar Laridae. Ia berkembang biak di Kepulauan Pribilof, Pulau Bogoslof dan Pulau Buldir di Laut Bering lep...

 

 

Alphonse Ethier

Alphonse EthierFrank H. Crane, Violet Heming dan Alphonse Ethier dalam An Assisted Elopement (1910)Lahir(1874-12-10)10 Desember 1874Virginia City, Nevada, Amerika SerikatMeninggal4 Januari 1943(1943-01-04) (umur 68)Hollywood, California, Amerika SerikatPekerjaanPemeranTahun aktif1910–1939Suami/istriCatherine Falloway Alphonse Ethier (10 Desember 1874 – 4 Januari 1943) adalah seorang pemeran film Amerika Serikat.[1] Ia tampil dalam lebih dari 70 film antara...

 

 

الصناديق الخاصة (مصر)

هذه المقالة تحتاج للمزيد من الوصلات للمقالات الأخرى للمساعدة في ترابط مقالات الموسوعة. فضلًا ساعد في تحسين هذه المقالة بإضافة وصلات إلى المقالات المتعلقة بها الموجودة في النص الحالي. (أغسطس 2023) هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة �...

Katy on a Mission

2010 single by Katy B Katy on a MissionSingle by Katy Bfrom the album On a Mission B-sideLouderReleased22 August 2010StudioRinse & Zinc'sGenreDubstepLength 4:11 (single version) 3:39 (album version) LabelRinseSongwriter(s) Katy B Beni Adejumo Producer(s)BengaKaty B singles chronology Katy on a Mission (2010) Perfect Stranger (2010) Music videoKaty on a Mission on YouTube Katy on a Mission is a song performed by British recording artist Katy B. It was released by Rinse accompanied by a...

 

 

Ebbw Vale Garden Festival Funicular

The Garden Festival site, with the funicular track in the foreground The Ebbw Vale Garden Festival Funicular was a funicular railway built to carry visitors around the Ebbw Vale Garden Festival in 1992. Festival The Ebbw Vale Garden Festival of 1992 was the last of the series of British National Garden Festivals from the mid-1980s to early '90s, funded by central government under Michael Heseltine in a bread and circuses plan to distract from the closures of major heavy industries in the reg...

 

 

Шалфей обыкновенный

Шалфей обыкновенный Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:РастенияКлада:Цветковые растенияКлада:ЭвдикотыКлада:СуперастеридыКлада:АстеридыКлада:ЛамиидыПорядок:ЯсноткоцветныеСемейство:ЯснотковыеРод:ШалфейВид:Шалфей обыкновенный Международное научное наз...

Distrik Hiệp Đức

Distrik Hiep Duc Huyện Hiệp ĐứcDistrikNegara VietnamWilayahPusat Pesisir SelatanProvinsiQuang NamPusatTan AnLuas • Total190 sq mi (492 km2)Populasi (2003) • Total40.281Zona waktuUTC+7 (UTC + 7) Hiệp Đức (listenⓘ) merupakan sebuah distrik (huyện) di provinsi Quang Nam, wilayah Pusat Pesisir Selatan, Vietnam. Pada tahun 2003, distrik ini memiliki populasi sebesar 40,281 jiwa.[1] Distrik ini memiliki area seluas 492 km...

 

 

Big Meadows

For the community in Calaveras County, California, formerly with this name, see Big Meadow, California. For the community in Plumas County, California, formerly with this name, see Chester, California. United States historic placeBig Meadows SiteU.S. National Register of Historic Places Big Meadows in SummerNearest cityLuray, VirginiaArea0.1 acres (0.040 ha)NRHP reference No.85003172[1]Added to NRHPDecember 13, 1985 Big Meadows is a recreational area of the Shenandoah N...

 

 

艾哈迈德·哈桑·贝克尔

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2022年1月31日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 艾哈迈德·哈桑·贝克尔أحمد حسن البكر第4任伊拉克总统任期1968年7月17日—1979年7月16日副总统萨达姆·侯...

Frank Kitto

Australian judge The Right HonourableSir Frank KittoAC, KBE, QCHigh Court in 1952, Kitto far right, back rowJustice of the High Court of AustraliaIn office10 May 1950 – 1 August 1970Nominated byRobert MenziesPreceded bySir George RichSucceeded bySir Harry Gibbs Personal detailsBorn30 July 1903Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaDied15 February 1994Armidale, New South Wales, Australia Sir Frank Walters Kitto, AC, KBE, QC (30 July 1903 – 15 February 19...

 

 

Brookstone

Chain of retail stores BrookstoneCompany typePrivateIndustryRetailFoundedPeterborough, New Hampshire, United States 1965[1]HeadquartersMerrimack, New Hampshire, United StatesNumber of locations34 (October 2018)[2]Key peopleSteven Goldsmith (CEO)OwnerSanpower Corp.Websitewww.brookstone.com A Brookstone store in Kittery, Maine Brookstone is a chain of retail stores in the United States and China. It was founded as a mail-order business in 1965, when it started selling items, suc...

 

 

مبيد

المبيد هو مادة كيميائية أو حيوية (وأحياناً كائن حي) يمكنه قتل أو تثبيط عمل كائن حي آخر.[1][2] تستعمل المبيدات في الطب الزراعة والغابات الصناعة والمرافق والصناعات الغذائية لأغراض مكافحة كائنات ممرضة أو للتعقيم والنظافة. من أمثلة المبيدات مبيدات الأعشاب ومبيدات الحشر...

Valganna

Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando la valle in cui si trova questo comune, vedi Valganna (valle). Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento centri abitati della Lombardia non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Valgannacomune Valganna – VedutaChiostro della Badia di San Gemolo LocalizzazioneStato&#...

 

 

المرفض الأعلى (البيضاء)

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (ديسمبر 2018) المرفض الأعلى تقسيم إداري البلد  اليمن مديرية مديرية الزاهر المسؤولون محافظة محافظة البيضاء السكان ا�...

 

 

نموذج المعتقد الصحي

هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (مارس 2015) نموذج المعتقد الصحي هو عبارة عن نموذج لتغير السلوك الصحي (بالإنجليزية: Behavior change)‏ والنفسي (بالإنجليزية: psychological)‏ تم وضعه من قبل إروين م. روزنستوك في عام 1966 لدر...

Opération Saturne

Opération Saturne Avancée soviétique durant les opérations Uranus, Mars et Saturne. Informations générales Date du 16 décembre 1942 à février 1943 Lieu Front de l'Est (URSS) Issue Victoire soviétique Belligérants Union soviétique  Reich allemand Italie Royaume de Hongrie Royaume de Roumanie Seconde Guerre mondialeBatailles Front de l’Est Prémices : Campagne de Pologne Guerre d’Hiver Guerre germano-soviétique : 1941 : L'invasion de l'URSS Opération Barba...

 

 

Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio 1985-1986

Voce principale: Unione Sportiva Triestina. Unione Sportiva Triestina CalcioStagione 1985-1986 Sport calcio Squadra Triestina Allenatore Enzo Ferrari Presidente Raffaele De Riù Serie B5º posto Coppa ItaliaPrimo turno Maggiori presenzeCampionato: Braghin (37) Miglior marcatoreCampionato: Iachini (8) StadioGiuseppe Grezar 1984-1985 1986-1987 Si invita a seguire il modello di voce Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti l'Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio nelle competizioni uffi...

 

 

Waitrose

Artikel ini berisi konten yang ditulis dengan gaya sebuah iklan. Bantulah memperbaiki artikel ini dengan menghapus konten yang dianggap sebagai spam dan pranala luar yang tidak sesuai, dan tambahkan konten ensiklopedis yang ditulis dari sudut pandang netral dan sesuai dengan kebijakan Wikipedia. (Juni 2018) Waitrose & PartnersJenisAnak perusahaanIndustriSupermarketDidirikan1904; 120 tahun lalu (1904) (dengan nama Waite, Rose & Taylor)[1]1908; 116 tahun lalu (1908) (d...

Fidia

Formella ritraente Fidia come allegoria della scultura, realizzata da Andrea Pisano (1348-1350; Firenze, Campanile di Giotto). Fidia (in greco antico: Φειδίας?, Pheidías; Atene, 490 a.C. circa – Atene, 430 a.C. circa) è stato uno scultore e architetto ateniese, attivo dal 470 a.C. circa ad Atene, Pellene, Platea, Tebe e Olimpia. Fu l'artista che meglio riuscì ad interpretare gli ideali dell'Atene periclea, i quali raggiunsero e informarono di sé il mondo greco di epoca classica a...

 

 

Authorship of the Pauline epistles

Part of a series of articles onPaul in the Bible Pauline literature (Authorship) Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Related literature Lost epistles Apocalypse of Paul Coptic Apocalypse of Paul Acts of Paul Paul and Thecla Peter and Paul Prayer of Paul See also Paul the Apostle Apostles in the New Testament Pauline Christianity vte Part of a series on theBible Canons and books T...