Gagea minima flower

Making Wikipedia Safer: Enforcement Guidelines for Wikimedia Universal Code of Conduct provide a model for governing online behavior

The Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation has unanimously approved enforcement guidelines for the first-of-its kind Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC). The code, which was developed hand in hand with more than 1500 Wikimedia project volunteers, outlines global standards for behavior across Wikipedia and all Wikimedia projects to prevent and address harassment and other negative behavior.

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Wikimedia Foundation urges Pakistan Telecommunications Authority to restore access to Wikipedia in Pakistan

On Friday, February 3, 2023, Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority blocked Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects. The Wikimedia Foundation calls on Pakistan to restore access to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in the country immediately.

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Wikipedia Gets a Fresh New Look: First Desktop Update in a Decade Puts Usability at the Forefront

The interface update, built in collaboration with Wikipedia volunteers worldwide, will make the site more welcoming, easier to use for everyone Update: On 4 May 2023, the desktop update was deployed to Spanish Wikipedia. The updated interface is now live on 95% of the 318 active language versions of Wikipedia for all desktop users. The….

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2022 as you saw it on Wikipedia

It has been a long year dominated by news headline after news headline. The Russian government invaded Ukraine. Queen Elizabeth II died. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. The World Cup. Everything surrounding Elon Musk. Wikipedia isn’t immune to that phenomenon. But in 2022, one particular English Wikipedia article captivated readers like you more than any….

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New Wikipedia editor features make it easy for everyone to contribute

New features on Wikipedia are making it easy for everyone to edit Wikipedia, especially those contributing to the site for the first time. Every time you read a Wikipedia article, you are reading the work of a volunteer contributor.  Nearly 300,000 people from around the world edit Wikipedia articles each month — they start new….

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Court room of the European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights case dismissed after two years of access to Wikipedia being restored in Turkey

Today, the European Court of Human Rights announced that it is dismissing the Wikimedia Foundation’s 2019 petition to lift the block of Wikipedia in Turkey. The case was dismissed because access to Wikipedia was restored by the Turkish government in January 2020 and the block was already determined to be a human rights violation in….

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Wikipedia celebrates 20 years of free, trusted information for the world

14 January 2021 — Wikipedia, the world’s largest free online encyclopedia, turns 20 years old on 15 January. This birthday commemorates two decades of global efforts to support free knowledge, open collaboration, and trust on the internet. In a time when disinformation and polarization challenge our trust in information and institutions, Wikipedia is more relevant….

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The infinite potential of human collaboration

On November 2, 2000, a space capsule carrying three astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). It was appropriately named “Expedition 1,” and it was the beginning of 20 years of humans continuously living and working onboard the ISS. Just two months after the landing of Expedition 1, another seemingly impossible human endeavor launched….

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Pandemics and politics: 2020 through the lens of Wikipedia

This is my sixth annual post sharing the list of Wikipedia’s most popular articles of the year, and each year I’ve had to come up with different ways of saying “people really love the latest pop culture.” Then 2020 happened — and, as with most things this year, the list was very different. Instead of….

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Vote sign for US elections

What Wikipedia saw during election week in the U.S., and what we’re doing next

Election Day in the United States was a critical moment for the country, with impacts that will extend well beyond one election cycle. For many Americans, it was an anxiety-inducing event. While voters waited — and waited — for the results to come in, Wikipedia editors across the globe stood ready. As one of the….

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