Country and Territory Protection List

Transparency is a cornerstone of the Wikimedia movement — as such, we care a lot about what data we release and how we release it. In line with our Data Publication Guidelines, our goal is to provide accurate information about our projects without exacerbating the privacy and other safety risks that our communities may face for contributing to our projects.

The Country and Territory Protection List Policy aims to enhance the Wikimedia Foundation's ability to publish information and protect contributors' personal information, while preserving everyone's ability to contribute safely to our projects online, consistent with the Foundation's commitment to upholding Wikimedians' rights to privacy as laid out in its Human Rights Policy. Publishing exact values of high-level, seemingly anonymous statistics exposes contributors to or risks. To that end, this update of the Country and Territory Protection List Policy takes into account the ability of to statistically mask individual contributors and contributions. This update will allow for more flexibility and nuance without compromising the safety of our communities, and will thus allow us to release more data and better meet communities' needs.

Process

The Wikimedia Foundation relies on the judgments of respected international human rights NGOs to assess potential risk to Wikimedia users. Every year, Reporters Without Borders produces an annual score for hundreds of countries and territories (based on a review of political, economic, legislative, social, and security factors) that signifies journalistic safety in each place. Similarly, Freedom House produces an annual internet freedom score for nearly 80 countries and territories (based on a questionnaire that evaluates obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights).

These signals are highly-credible and dynamic, with updates every year provided by panels of subject matter experts. Relying on this independent data allows our own models to iterate and provides every person with access to sensitive data with a built-in set of guidelines around risk minimization. They also give the Wikimedia Foundation a sense of the relative risk of government or other parties' actions against Wikimedia community members for their on-platform behaviors (e.g. editing and reading). Where possible, we average the two scores together and subtract them from 100 to get a composite risk score, where 0 is the least likely and 100 is the most likely to take action against community members for on-platform behavior.

Based on the composite score, we then sort each country or territory into one of four categories:

• 0 to 60 — lower risk: These countries and territories are at lower risk of action being taken against Wikimedia community members for on-platform activities. The Wikimedia Foundation can publish aggregated data about them as long as it is in line with the minimum thresholds set out in the Data Publication Guidelines.
• 60 to 67.5 — medium risk: These countries and territories are at medium risk of action being taken against Wikimedia community members for on-platform activities. The Wikimedia Foundation can publish aggregated data about them only using differential privacy such that any consumer of the data will be (in the worst case) at most 5% more certain about a data subject's presence or absence in the dataset.
• 67.5 to 75 — higher risk: These countries and territories are at higher risk of action being taken against Wikimedia community members for on-platform activities. The Wikimedia Foundation can publish aggregated data about them only using differential privacy such that any consumer of the data will be (in the worst case) at most 2.5% more certain about a data subject's presence or absence in the dataset.

75 to 100 — not published: These countries and territories are at the highest risk of action being taken against Wikimedia community members for on-platform activities. For reasons of user and editor safety, the Wikimedia Foundation does not publish aggregated data about them.

Some countries and territories are not included in the Country and Territory Protection List because they do not have sufficient associated scores from our data sources; in these cases, privacy and human rights experts may decide their risk category.

Country and territory protection list designations

In 2024, the country and territory protection list is as follows:

Medium risk

There are twenty countries and territories deemed medium risk of action being taken against community members for on-platform activities: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Higher risk

There are eight countries and territories deemed higher risk of action being taken against community members for on-platform activities: Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Eritrea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan.

Not published

There are eight countries and territories deemed highest risk of action being taken against community members for on-platform activities, and that are, as a result, too risky to publish data about: China, Cuba, Iran, Macau, Myanmar, North Korea, Syria, and Vietnam.

Full country and territory list

Country and territory protection list (full list)

Country Score Protected? (Yes/No) Risk Designation Афганистан 60.25 Да Medium risk Албания 42.14 Нет Lower risk Алжир 54.26 Нет Lower risk Андорра 24.95 Нет Lower risk Ангола 46.35 Нет Lower risk Ангилья (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Антигуа и Барбуда (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Аргентина 26.82 Нет Lower risk Армения 28.70 Нет Lower risk Австралия 22.88 Нет Lower risk Австрия 22.70 Нет Lower risk Азербайджан 61.54 Да Medium risk Бахрейн 70.71 Да Higher risk Бангладеш 61.85 Да Medium risk Белоруссия 68.92 Да Higher risk Бельгия 23.53 Нет Lower risk Белиз 29.51 Нет Lower risk Бенин 47.56 Нет Lower risk Бутан 40.75 Нет Lower risk Боливия 48.91 Нет Lower risk Босния и Герцеговина 34.57 Нет Lower risk Ботсвана 35.39 Нет Lower risk Бразилия 38.67 Нет Lower risk Британские Виргинские острова (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Бруней-Даруссалам 55.80 Нет Lower risk Болгария 37.02 Нет Lower risk Буркина-Фасо 32.36 Нет Lower risk Бурунди 47.86 Нет Lower risk Кабо-Верде 24.28 Нет Lower risk Камбоджа 56.99 Нет Lower risk Камерун 54.42 Нет Lower risk Канада 14.24 Нет Lower risk Центральноафриканская Республика 42.44 Нет Lower risk Чад 46.27 Нет Lower risk Чили 39.91 Нет Lower risk Китай 84.02 Да Not published Колумбия 44.89 Нет Lower risk Коморы 37.75 Нет Lower risk Республика Конго 39.58 Нет Lower risk Коста-Рика 17.40 Нет Lower risk Кот-д’Ивуар 31.17 Нет Lower risk Хорватия 28.05 Нет Lower risk Куба 75.50 Да Not published Кипр 31.38 Нет Lower risk Чехия 16.42 Нет Lower risk Дания 10.52 Нет Lower risk Джибути 64.13 Да Medium risk Доминика (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Доминиканская Республика 28.12 Нет Lower risk Демократическая Республика Конго 51.45 Нет Lower risk Восточный Тимор 15.51 Нет Lower risk Эквадор 37.75 Нет Lower risk Египет 69.32 Да Higher risk Сальвадор 48.64 Нет Lower risk Экваториальная Гвинея 49.65 Нет Lower risk Эритрея 72.14 Да Higher risk Эстония 10.85 Нет Lower risk Эсватини 47.34 Нет Lower risk Эфиопия 63.15 Да Medium risk Фиджи 40.73 Нет Lower risk Финляндия 12.06 Нет Lower risk Франция 22.64 Нет Lower risk Габон 41.88 Нет Lower risk Гамбия 36.47 Нет Lower risk Грузия 31.16 Нет Lower risk Германия 20.55 Нет Lower risk Гана 34.54 Нет Lower risk Греция 44.80 Нет Lower risk Гренада (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Гваделупа (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Гватемала 51.88 Нет Lower risk Гвинея 40.49 Нет Lower risk Гвинея-Бисау 38.43 Нет Lower risk Гайана 32.50 Нет Lower risk Гаити 42.62 Нет Lower risk Гондурас 67.35 Да Medium risk Гонконг 55.14 Нет Lower risk Венгрия 34.02 Нет Lower risk Исландия 11.41 Нет Lower risk Индия 56.69 Нет Lower risk Индонезия 49.09 Нет Lower risk Иран 82.10 Да Not published Ирак 62.03 Да Medium risk Ирландия 10.09 Нет Lower risk Израиль 42.43 Нет Lower risk Италия 26.48 Нет Lower risk Ямайка 24.11 Нет Lower risk Япония 29.53 Нет Lower risk Иордания 55.11 Нет Lower risk Казахстан 60.07 Да Medium risk Кения 41.43 Нет Lower risk Республика Косово 31.62 Нет Lower risk Кувейт 61.16 Да Medium risk Кыргызстан 49.05 Нет Lower risk Лаос 63.34 Да Medium risk Латвия 16.73 Нет Lower risk Ливан 49.77 Нет Lower risk Лесото 35.71 Нет Lower risk Либерия 35.66 Нет Lower risk Ливия 58.89 Нет Lower risk Лихтенштейн 15.53 Нет Lower risk Литва 13.21 Нет Lower risk Люксембург 18.02 Нет Lower risk Макао n/a Да Not published Мадагаскар 43.34 Нет Lower risk Малави 39.83 Нет Lower risk Малайзия 38.09 Нет Lower risk Мальдивы 43.07 Нет Lower risk Мали 47.71 Нет Lower risk Мальта 40.24 Нет Lower risk Мартиника (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Мавритания 40.55 Нет Lower risk Маврикий 34.44 Нет Lower risk Мексика 45.01 Нет Lower risk Молдавия 22.38 Нет Lower risk Монголия 40.67 Нет Lower risk Черногория 25.72 Нет Lower risk Монтсеррат (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Марокко 51.66 Нет Lower risk Мозамбик 43.87 Нет Lower risk Мьянма 80.87 Да Not published Намибия 19.09 Нет Lower risk Непал 42.11 Нет Lower risk Нидерланды 13.00 Нет Lower risk Новая Зеландия 15.77 Нет Lower risk Никарагуа 60.46 Да Medium risk Нигер 33.16 Нет Lower risk Нигерия 45.22 Нет Lower risk КНДР 78.28 Да Not published Северная Македония 25.65 Нет Lower risk Норвегия 4.82 Нет Lower risk Оман 62.13 Да Medium risk Пакистан 67.03 Да Medium risk Государство Палестина 62.14 Да Medium risk Панама 36.33 Нет Lower risk Папуа — Новая Гвинея 32.38 Нет Lower risk Парагвай 44.04 Нет Lower risk Перу 47.26 Нет Lower risk Филиппины 46.40 Нет Lower risk Польша 32.34 Нет Lower risk Португалия 15.40 Нет Lower risk Катар 44.72 Нет Lower risk Румыния 30.96 Нет Lower risk Россия 72.12 Да Higher risk Руанда 58.21 Нет Lower risk Сент-Китс и Невис (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Сент-Люсия (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Сент-Винсент и Гренадины (OECS) 41.64 Нет Lower risk Самоа 17.85 Нет Lower risk Саудовская Аравия 71.29 Да Higher risk Сенегал 44.18 Нет Lower risk Сербия 34.92 Нет Lower risk Сейшельские Острова 24.29 Нет Lower risk Сьерра-Леоне 37.45 Нет Lower risk Сингапур 49.06 Нет Lower risk Словакия 16.78 Нет Lower risk Словения 29.41 Нет Lower risk Сомали 55.76 Нет Lower risk ЮАР 24.20 Нет Lower risk Республика Корея 31.09 Нет Lower risk Южный Судан 49.38 Нет Lower risk Испания 24.63 Нет Lower risk Шри-Ланка 51.08 Нет Lower risk Судан 64.59 Да Medium risk Суринам 29.38 Нет Lower risk Швеция 11.85 Нет Lower risk Швейцария 15.60 Нет Lower risk Сирия 77.89 Да Not published Тайвань 23.23 Нет Lower risk Таджикистан 60.94 Да Medium risk Танзания 55.98 Нет Lower risk Таиланд 52.88 Нет Lower risk Того 36.94 Нет Lower risk Тонга 28.71 Нет Lower risk Тринидад и Тобаго 23.46 Нет Lower risk Тунис 45.45 Нет Lower risk Турция 68.02 Да Higher risk Туркменистан 74.18 Да Higher risk Уганда 51.46 Нет Lower risk Украина 39.91 Нет Lower risk Объединённые Арабские Эмираты 63.51 Да Medium risk Великобритания 21.25 Нет Lower risk США 26.39 Нет Lower risk Уругвай 29.67 Нет Lower risk Узбекистан 64.64 Да Medium risk Венесуэла 67.01 Да Medium risk Вьетнам 76.71 Да Not published Западная Сахара 51.66 Нет Lower risk Йемен 67.22 Да Medium risk Замбия 40.80 Нет Lower risk Зимбабве 50.42 Нет Lower risk