Privacy policy/Call for input (2013)
 | Note: The text below comes from a blog post by Wikimedia Foundation Legal Counsel Michelle Paulson. With our appreciation, we ask the international Wikimedia community to help in translating the blog post and this feedback page (which are almost the same) as well as people’s feedback given throughout the course of this consultation period.
Also there may be comments under the original blog post, in the wikimedia-l thread, and maybe other discussion pages. To the extent those comments could be transferred to this feedback page, that would facilitate our ability to review and comment on the various positions and ideas. Many thanks. |
Call for input on new Wikimedia Foundation privacy policy
Since the launch of Wikipedia in 2001, the community has grown from a few inspired individuals to tens of thousands of volunteers, working on twelve official Wikimedia projects, in hundreds of languages, with the support of chapters and user groups around the world. Whether you have been a member of the movement for five years or five minutes, there is one common thread that connects all of us, and that is our dedication to the mission of spreading free knowledge throughout the world.
As stewards of this deeply-connected community, the Wikimedia Foundation takes seriously our role in protecting and encouraging the work of Wikimedians everywhere. You are the reason the Wikimedia projects continue to educate and inform the world, and we value your opinion on the issues that matter to you.
Here's where we stand
We know that privacy is important to you, especially in light of recent events. We will continue to stand by our commitment to collect far less data than other major websites, to limit use of your data for research and analytics and to improve your Wikimedia experience, and to never sell your data or use it for commercial purposes.
We also recognize that our policies need to adapt to the changing legal and technological landscape. Our current privacy policy has not changed since 2008, and we believe it is time to update our terms to stay true to what the community and Projects are today. Thus, we are in the process of creating a new privacy policy to better serve you and to better explain how your data is collected, used, and shared.
You deserve a privacy policy that is clear and straightforward in its terms, one that details exactly what information we collect and what we do with that information, and one that reflects community values and feedback.
To do this, we want and need your input
One of our goals for this undertaking is transparency, both in the policy-drafting process and in the terms of the policy itself. For the next month, we would like to open a dialogue with community members to discuss key privacy issues, including cookies (no raisins), data security (hooray), and third-party advertisements (no, thank you).
This initial consultation period will last until July 18, 2013. Once we have completed a draft of the new privacy policy, we will then open a lengthier community consultation period so that you have the opportunity to review the draft and provide more detailed feedback.
As members of the community, your input is invaluable. This is why we are kicking off an open discussion period now, so your voices can be heard, and so we can incorporate your feedback as we draft a new privacy policy.
Send us your questions, comments, and concerns
What do you like and what do you not like about the current policy? What do you think should or should not be in the new policy? What community values should the new policy embody? Do you have any concerns about past or current Wikimedia Foundation privacy practices? Are there recent U.S. or international privacy trends that you want us to consider?
Please contribute your comments, questions, and suggestions here on the talk page
The Wikimedia Foundation values members of the community, and it is our hope that through collaboration and consultation, we can create a privacy policy that gives all of us the freedom to continue experimenting, learning, and improving the Wikimedia projects, while maintaining our dedication to privacy.