Hi,
There are various unanswered queries on the UCoC talk pages.[1][2] I wonder
if you or someone else involved in drafting the UCoC could comment.
Several of these queries concern the wording of the Harassment section, in
particular the "Disclosure of personal data (Doxing)" subsection included
therein.[3] This subsection currently reads as follows (my emphasis):
"Disclosure of personal data (Doxing): sharing other contributors' private
information, such as name, place of employment, physical or email address
without their explicit consent either on the Wikimedia projects or
elsewhere, *or sharing information concerning their Wikimedia activity
outside the projects*."
1. As written, this literally means that Wikimedians will not be allowed to
share "information concerning [other contributors'] Wikimedia activity
outside the projects". While this may not be the intended meaning, it is
the literal meaning – and reminiscent of Fight Club: "The first rule of
Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club."
Could you comment? Do you really mean to say that contributors are not
allowed to communicate with any outside person about what happens on the
projects?
How would this affect bloggers like the following:
https://genderdesk.wordpress.com/
https://thewikipedian.net/
https://wikipediocracy.com/2021/11/22/wikipedia-loves-stolen-art/
Or is this a case of the wording having gone awry?
2. The subsection mentions "place of employment". There are pages on
Wikipedia, in project space and article space, that discuss contributors'
place of employment. Examples are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Congressional_staffer_edits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangemoody_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki-PR_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology_editing_on_Wikipedia
Wikipedia editors and arbitrators have in the past commented on such cases
to the media. Will this be forbidden under the new Universal Code of
Conduct rules?
3. What about cases like the ones listed below? From the perspective of the
UCoC, were any of the protagonists in these cases ("David r from Meth
Productions", "Wifione", "Qworty") victims of harassment as a result of
their activities being discussed on-wiki or elsewhere?
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/09/hari-rose-wikipedia-admitted
https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedia/
https://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/manipulating-wikipedia-promote-bogus-business-school-316133.html
4. Another contributor has asked on the talk pages whether, according to
the terms of the UCoC, they will be deemed guilty of harassment in the
Wikimediaverse if they sue another contributor for libel and discuss their
complaint in court. Another worries about contributors' ability to report
child protection issues to the authorities.
Indeed, the WMF itself has at times alerted the authorities to suspicious
activities on its sites and shared contributors' personal details (I recall
a case where it appeared from postings on Wikipedia that a troubled
teenager was contemplating a school shooting). Is the Universal Code of
Conduct intended to put an end to such reports?
I would be grateful for a clarification of the impact the Universal Code of
Conduct is intended to have on the above issues.
Best,
Andreas
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Policy_text
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct#3_–_Unacceptable_behaviour
On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 3:13 AM Youngjin Ko <yko-ctr@wikimedia.org> wrote:
> Thank you for your continued comments and ideas on the Universal Code of
> Conduct enforcement guidelines. Your responses have helped to build a
> stronger Universal Code of Conduct.
>
> If you have not already provided your comments, now is the time as the
> drafting committee has been meeting to update the enforcement guidelines
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee/Phase_2_meeting_summaries> [1].
> The drafting committee wants to consider all comments as they make their
> updates. Please submit any comments by the end of November. The Committee
> hopes to finish its revisions before the end of the year, and the revised
> guidelines will be published as soon as they have been completed.
>
> The next steps for the Universal Code of Conduct include conversations
> about ratification of the enforcement guidelines. There will be a
> conversation about ratification on Nov 29
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations/Roundtable_discussions> 15:00
> UTC [2] .
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation will make recommendations to the Board of
> Trustees about the ratification of the guidelines in December. The
> recommendations will inform the next steps in the Universal Code of Conduct
> process.
>
> Thank you for participating in the UCoC consultations!
> [1]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee/Phase_2_meeting_summaries
> [2]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations/Roundtable_discussions
> --
> *Youngjin Ko *(he/him)
>
> Movement Strategy and Governance facilitator
> Wikimedia Foundation
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
> Public archives at
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/AAGTJLSWDFKTQDUG7BHNOQ4ZYMIULYIF/
> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
There are various unanswered queries on the UCoC talk pages.[1][2] I wonder
if you or someone else involved in drafting the UCoC could comment.
Several of these queries concern the wording of the Harassment section, in
particular the "Disclosure of personal data (Doxing)" subsection included
therein.[3] This subsection currently reads as follows (my emphasis):
"Disclosure of personal data (Doxing): sharing other contributors' private
information, such as name, place of employment, physical or email address
without their explicit consent either on the Wikimedia projects or
elsewhere, *or sharing information concerning their Wikimedia activity
outside the projects*."
1. As written, this literally means that Wikimedians will not be allowed to
share "information concerning [other contributors'] Wikimedia activity
outside the projects". While this may not be the intended meaning, it is
the literal meaning – and reminiscent of Fight Club: "The first rule of
Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club."
Could you comment? Do you really mean to say that contributors are not
allowed to communicate with any outside person about what happens on the
projects?
How would this affect bloggers like the following:
https://genderdesk.wordpress.com/
https://thewikipedian.net/
https://wikipediocracy.com/2021/11/22/wikipedia-loves-stolen-art/
Or is this a case of the wording having gone awry?
2. The subsection mentions "place of employment". There are pages on
Wikipedia, in project space and article space, that discuss contributors'
place of employment. Examples are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Congressional_staffer_edits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangemoody_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki-PR_editing_of_Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology_editing_on_Wikipedia
Wikipedia editors and arbitrators have in the past commented on such cases
to the media. Will this be forbidden under the new Universal Code of
Conduct rules?
3. What about cases like the ones listed below? From the perspective of the
UCoC, were any of the protagonists in these cases ("David r from Meth
Productions", "Wifione", "Qworty") victims of harassment as a result of
their activities being discussed on-wiki or elsewhere?
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/09/hari-rose-wikipedia-admitted
https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedia/
https://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/manipulating-wikipedia-promote-bogus-business-school-316133.html
4. Another contributor has asked on the talk pages whether, according to
the terms of the UCoC, they will be deemed guilty of harassment in the
Wikimediaverse if they sue another contributor for libel and discuss their
complaint in court. Another worries about contributors' ability to report
child protection issues to the authorities.
Indeed, the WMF itself has at times alerted the authorities to suspicious
activities on its sites and shared contributors' personal details (I recall
a case where it appeared from postings on Wikipedia that a troubled
teenager was contemplating a school shooting). Is the Universal Code of
Conduct intended to put an end to such reports?
I would be grateful for a clarification of the impact the Universal Code of
Conduct is intended to have on the above issues.
Best,
Andreas
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Policy_text
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct#3_–_Unacceptable_behaviour
On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 3:13 AM Youngjin Ko <yko-ctr@wikimedia.org> wrote:
> Thank you for your continued comments and ideas on the Universal Code of
> Conduct enforcement guidelines. Your responses have helped to build a
> stronger Universal Code of Conduct.
>
> If you have not already provided your comments, now is the time as the
> drafting committee has been meeting to update the enforcement guidelines
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee/Phase_2_meeting_summaries> [1].
> The drafting committee wants to consider all comments as they make their
> updates. Please submit any comments by the end of November. The Committee
> hopes to finish its revisions before the end of the year, and the revised
> guidelines will be published as soon as they have been completed.
>
> The next steps for the Universal Code of Conduct include conversations
> about ratification of the enforcement guidelines. There will be a
> conversation about ratification on Nov 29
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations/Roundtable_discussions> 15:00
> UTC [2] .
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation will make recommendations to the Board of
> Trustees about the ratification of the guidelines in December. The
> recommendations will inform the next steps in the Universal Code of Conduct
> process.
>
> Thank you for participating in the UCoC consultations!
> [1]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Drafting_committee/Phase_2_meeting_summaries
> [2]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/2021_consultations/Roundtable_discussions
> --
> *Youngjin Ko *(he/him)
>
> Movement Strategy and Governance facilitator
> Wikimedia Foundation
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
> Public archives at
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/AAGTJLSWDFKTQDUG7BHNOQ4ZYMIULYIF/
> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org