Reaching the many deadlines of WikiAfrica: Iolanda Pensa profile
Iolanda Pensa is always on one deadline or another. This is not a source of stress, though. She embraces them. As scientific director of WikiAfrica – which the Swiss-born, Italian-based 38-year-old calls “Africanizing Wikipedia” – Pensa gave the project some challenging deadlines. “In 2010, we decided to create a quantitative milestone, to produce 30,000 African….
"Tech News": Fighting technical information overload for Wikimedians
Every week, tech ambassadors assemble, simplify and translate "Tech News," a curated newsletter then delivered to hundreds of subscribers across wikis. But how exactly did this start, how does it work behind the scenes, and how does it fit within our efforts to bring developers and users closer together?
Wikipedia Shows the Value of a Vibrant Public Domain
This post is part of Copyright Week held by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other organizations in January 2014. While more commonly known as New Year’s Day, January 1 is also international Public Domain Day. It celebrates the day when creative works (such as books, images and songs) enter the public domain, which is the collective wealth of….
For Rexford Nkansah, Wikipedia represents the future of education for his country
Despite its growing economy, Ghana is not the first place one would associate with technology, but for 20-year-old native Rexford Nkansah, it’s second nature. “In Ghana you don’t have hobbies like skiing or going to restaurants,” he says. “So these are the little things I do to keep myself busy.” The youngest of five, Rexford….
Launching a Privacy Policy Built the Wiki Way
We are happy to announce that on April 25, 2014, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved a new privacy policy. The new privacy policy explains how we collect, use and manage the information of over twenty million registered users and 490 million monthly unique visitors to the Wikimedia projects. But the policy wouldn’t have been….
Opposing Mass Surveillance on the Internet
We are pleased to announce that the Wikimedia Foundation is signing the Necessary and Proportionate Principles on the application of human rights to surveillance. Privacy on the Internet is closely connected to our mission to disseminate free knowledge.[1] We strive to provide a platform for users from all over the world to exercise their free….
Donating His Estate to the Wikimedia Foundation: The Story of Jim Pacha
As he reflected on his life in a video interview with the Wikimedia Foundation on April 29, Jim Pacha beamed and smiled a lot. During the talk, Pacha was reminded of all the remarkable things that happened to him, including highlights in learning and career advancement. Pacha became a senior software engineer at a prestigious aerospace company, even though he never graduated from college. He entered his profession at one of its lowest ranks and through the years mastered the necessary skills through study and hard work.
Making a change to our Terms of Use: Requirements for disclosure
This change will clarify and strengthen the prohibition against concealing paid editing on all Wikimedia projects.
European court decision punches holes in free knowledge
A recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision is undermining the world’s ability to freely access accurate and verifiable records about individuals and events. The impact on Wikipedia is direct and critical.
A behind the scenes look at the Wikimedia Foundation’s emergency response system
When my work phone rings in the middle of the night, I don’t ever have to wonder what it is. As one of the team of five who are charged with addressing emails sent to the Wikimedia Foundation’s emergency address, I sleep lightly on nights when I’m on call. [...]