Advocacy/Movement Goals

The Wikimedia movement has seen a number of advocacy initiatives over the years. Currently, efforts are continuing in Brussels (FKAGEU), Washington DC (WMUS-DC), Israel (WMIL) and San Francisco (WMF). Yet, all the involved and even uninvolved groups seem insecure about what is part of our movement goals and on which issues they have mandate to speak out. Knowing what we want to change in the world is a prerequisite to answering the question "How to do it?".

At Wikimania London we discussed the process. In Mexico we'll gather to define our global policy tasks.

Wikimedia Conference 2015

At the Wikimedia Conference 2015 we mapped out chapters' efforts and challenges in public policy (more details)

At the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin the topic was raised at two sessions. What could local organizations bring to the movement? and Working on Public and Regulatory Policy.

When it comes to advocacy, the most commonly asked questions were:

• What am I allowed to do?
• What are the dos and don'ts for Wikimedia advoacy?
• What are our specific asks?
• Which external groups/organisations can I team up with? How should I react to coalition requests?
• Should we define specific or general movement goals? How do define global/regional/local asks?

The most commonly referred to policies were:

• Net neutrality
• Freedom of Panorama
• Government Works

Brainstorming between conferences

At Wikimania the WMF legal team will kick off the discussion of some core policy areas. As these are broad issues that require some thought and time to analyse, we invite everyone to start noting down bullet points that can fuel the conversation in Mexico and help us make progress.

Copyright

Rory wants to pick your brain (figuratively speaking)

• Global agreement on PD
• Value of the PD/Commons
• No copyright on faithful reproductions
• Copyright terms
• Exceptions for education
• Open Access
  • Open Access funding
  • Global Impact Factor
• Open Data
• Berne Convention
• PDGov/FoP/Orphans
• Database rights

Censorship

• WP on blacklists
• Filters (e.g. for pornography)
• Well-worded position that can be referred to when things come up.
• Internal censorship
• Focus on US because of server location
• What to do with China?
• Right to be forgotten
• Reactions to censorship efforts (global & local): full transparency AND talk to authorities
• Declassification of historical documents

Access to knowledge

• Mapping allies for access to knowledge (including distributors of offline Wikipedia)
• Wikipedia Zero Operating Principles
• Lyon Declaration
• Holistic approach to a2k including literacy, technological barriers and other obstacles
• Apply standards of development projects (objectives/transparency/metrics) to our activities

Intermediary protection

• Notice and takedown (counter-notice, liability of notices)
• Platform neutrality
• National filtering systems
• Monitor international treaties

Privacy & Surveillance

• Privacy principles (Similar to ALA's position: Privacy is essential for intellectual freedom)
• WMF & affiliates not to collect user data to avoid risk
• Anonymous editing should be possible (but is sometimes illegal)
• Blanket surveillance incompatible with free knowledge

Wikimania 2015

Talks

• Amplify Free Knowledge with Public Policy Sunday, July 19, 11:00hrs, Conference venue
  The WMF legal team will discuss the core policy issues lay out some initial next steps that to better articulate our positions and make it easier for volunteers to work locally to build better public policy for the Wikimedia movement.

• Latin America Internet Freedoms panel Friday, July 17, 16:30hrs, Conference venue
  Panel Discussion on regional policy, politics and freedom of expression with Katitza Rodriguez (EFF), Paz Peña (Derechos Digitales from Chile), Renata Avila (Web We Want), Darío Ramírez (Article 19), Carlos Brito (R3DMX), Yana Welinder (WMF), Moderator: Luis Fernando García (R3DMX).
• Copyright reform in the EU - What you can expect to happen Sunday, July 19, 11:30hrs, Conference venue
  The inside scoop by Julia Reda, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the copyright implementation report. What are the European Parliament and the European Commission likely to propose?
• The Twilight of EU Copyright Reform, or, How to reform with a hammer Friday, July 17, 15:00hrs, Conference venue
  Once again we're looking at how crowd-sourced advocacy works, but this time expect concrete examples of what Wikimedia did in Europe to try and influence the copyright reform to include text that supports free knowledge. You will see legislative texts proposed and by us and also get an explanation why certain parts didn't make it to the final version.
  

Related events

• Wikimedia Conference Follow-Up Day, Thursday, July 16, 13:00hrs, Hotel Fiesta Inn
  Inform people about the movement goals we want to set, get the conversation going and people thinking so they have some time to reflect ahead of the talks.
• #npbmex, Friday July 17, 20:00, Meeting at Cancino Almeda, Calle Doctor Mora 9
  Informal and social meet-up of all people interested in net politics (copyright, network infrastructure, data protection, telecoms regulation, etc.). Will mingle Wikimaniacs with local net activists.
• Public Policy Meetup, Saturday, July 18, 10:30, Conference venue (Chapters' village)
  Wikimedians interested in public policy are invited to get to know each other, discuss the issues, plans and solutions at Wikimania.