Wikimedia Forum/Archives/2023-02

How can I help?

Thanks for the help on this! Are there any way(s) I can help this wiki? The last available username (talk) 14:50, 3 February 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia and censorship/repression in Saudi Arabi

In relation to this, I would like to know if it is possible to put, on the front pages of the various wikipedias, some message of support for our Saudi comrades, which could be something like this:

Freedom for User:OsamaK (left) y User:Ziad (right)

It is an issue that has already been discussed here. I think it is a debt we owe them and we should do something for them. Thank you for your attention and best regards. J. Manolo G. P. (talk) 10:07, 4 February 2023 (UTC)

Announcing the 2023 Ombuds Commission

Hello, everyone.

I'm writing with information about the Ombuds Commission (OC), the small group of volunteers who investigate complaints about violations of the privacy policy, and in particular concerning the use of CheckUser and Oversight tools, on any Wikimedia project for the Board of Trustees. I apologize for the length of the announcement. :)

The application period for new commissioners for 2023 recently closed. The Wikimedia Foundation is extremely grateful to the many experienced and insightful volunteers who offered to assist with this work.

This year’s OC will consist of ten members, with a one-member advisory team who will guide the new commission and also, if necessary, fill in in the event that the OC is unable to act due to incapacity or recusal.

I am pleased to announce the composition of the 2023 OC:

Regular members

• AGK

AGK has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2008. He is primarily active on English Wikipedia, where he has been an administrator, Checkuser, and Oversighter and has served as an Arbitrator. AGK served on the Ombuds Commission in 2020 and 2021. AGK has been appointed for a 2-year term on the Ombuds Commission.

• Ameisenigel

Ameisenigel has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on German Wikipedia, where he served as an Arbitrator from 2020 to 2022, and on Wikidata, where he is an administrator. He is also active as a translation admin in several projects. Ameisenigel speaks German and English. He has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a 1-year term this year.

• Bennylin

Bennylin has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2004. He's primarily active on Indonesian and Javanese Wikiprojects, where he's sysop in 6 of them, Checkuser in Indonesian Wikipedia, bureaucrat in Indonesian Wiktionary, and also active in Commons, Meta, Wikidata, and MediaWiki. He has previously served as a global Steward. He speaks Indonesian, English, Javanese, Chinese and some Spanish. This is Bennylin's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 2-year term.

• Daniuu

Daniuu has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2019. They are primarily active on Dutch Wikipedia, where they are a sysop and member of the Arbitration Committee. They are also a global sysop and focus on counter-vandalism work. Daniuu speaks Dutch and English. This is Daniuu's first year on the Ombuds Commission and they have been appointed for a 2-year term.

• Emufarmers

Emufarmers has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2005. He is a Metapedian who primarily edits the English Wikipedia; he is also a bureaucrat and sysop on MediaWiki.org, and has provided software support to many third-party, non-Wikimedia wikis over the years. He has served as a VRTS administrator since 2015. He served on the Ombuds Commission from 2019-2021. He has been appointed for a one-year term on the Ombuds Commission.

• Faendalimas

Scott Thomson, user:Faendalimas, has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2006. Based in Brazil, he is a taxonomist and evolutionary biologist and his main editing interest is reptiles and amphibians. He is most active on WikiSpecies, where he is a bureaucrat, Checkuser, and administrator. Faendalimas speaks Portuguese and English. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a one-year term this year.

• JJMC89

JJMC89 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on the English Wikipedia, where he has more than 300,000 edits and is an administrator and bot operator, and Commons. He also serves as a tool administrator on UTRS. He speaks English. He has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a 1-year term this year.

• MdsShakil

MdsShakil has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2019. He is active on Bengali Wikipedia, Bengali Wikibooks, Wikidata and Commons. He is an administrator on Bengali Wikibooks and serves as a global renamer and global rollbacker. He speaks Bengali and English. This is MdsShakil's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 2-year term.

• Minorax

Minorax has been active on Wikimedia projects since 2019. They are a Metapedian who is active on a large number of projects, including Commons, where they have over 400,000 edits, English Wikipedia, and Meta, where they are a Checkuser. They are also a global sysop. Minorax speaks English and Chinese. This is Minorax's first year on the Ombuds Commission and they have been appointed for a 2-year term.

• Renvoy

Renvoy has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2014. He is primarily active on Ukrainian Wikipedia and Wikidata. He is an administrator on Ukrainian Wikibooks and serves as a global rollbacker. Renvoy speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, and Polish. This is Renvoy's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 1-year term.

Advisory member

• Zabe

Zabe has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. They primarily edit Wikidata and Mediawiki, where they are an administrator. In addition, Zabe works on the Mediawiki software. Zabe speaks German and English. Zabe has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2022. The advisory member term length is one year.

Steward-Observer

New in 2023, we are appointing a Steward-Observer to serve as a liaison between the Ombuds Commission and the Stewards. The Steward-Observer is a non-voting, advisory role. The Steward-Observer was nominated by the Stewards and is appointed by the Wikimedia Foundation to a one-year term. This year's Steward-Observer is…

• Vermont

Vermont (they/them) has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2016. They have been a steward since February 2022, and previously a global sysop and rollbacker. Vermont is an administrator and checkuser on Meta-Wiki and the Simple English Wikipedia, and formerly volunteered on the UCoC Phase 2 and Revisions drafting committees.

Departing members

Please join me in thanking the following volunteers who are leaving OC, who have given substantially of their time to serve the commission:

• Érico

Érico has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2010. He edits primarily on Portuguese Wikipedia, where he is a bureaucrat, checkuser, and administrator, and Commons, where he is an administrator. He has, in the past, also served as an oversighter and a global sysop. He has created about 1,700 new articles and has made over 270,000 edits in several projects. Érico can communicate in Portuguese and English. 2022 was Érico's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

• Galahad

Carlos, currently editing as user:Galahad, has been contributing to Wikimedia Projects since 2009. He is a member of Wikimedia Venezuela and a founding member of Wikimedia Small Projects User Group. He primarily contributes to Spanish-language projects including Spanish Wikipedia and Spanish Wikivoyage. He has been an administrator and bureaucrat of Spanish Wikivoyage since 2013. He speaks Spanish and English. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2019.

• Infinite0694

Infinite0694 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2011. She edits primarily on Japanese Wikipedia, where she is a bureaucrat, administrator, Oversighter, and Checkuser, as well as on Meta, where she is an administrator. Infinite0694 speaks Japanese, English, and German. 2022 was Infinite0694's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

• Mykola7

Mykola7 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. He is primarily active on Ukranian Wikipedia, where he is an administrator and Checkuser. He speaks Ukranian, Russian, and English. 2022 was Mykola7's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

• Olugold

Olugold has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2020. She is a librarian and a member of the Igbo Wikimedia User Group. She edits primarily on English Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Igbo Wikipedia. She speaks English, Hausa, Igbo, and Nigerian Pidgin English. 2022 was Olugold's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

• Udehb

Udehb has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. He edits primarily on Wikidata and is also active in the movement, including organizing Wikidata Justice Nigeria. He is a member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group and serves as the IG-WIKIDATA-HUB coordinator, of which he is the founder. Udehb speaks Igbo and English. 2022 was Udehb's first year on the Ombuds Commission. Kbrown (WMF) (talk) 14:53, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

Chronological list of editors who add their thanks to these departing members

• I fully endorse the parting salutations given by Kbrown (WMF) and add my own thanks and best wishes to each departing member.--John Cline (talk) 02:29, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

This section was archived on a request by: Johannnes89 (talk) 06:44, 7 March 2023 (UTC)

Universal Code of Conduct revised enforcement guidelines vote results

The recent community-wide vote on the Universal Code of Conduct revised Enforcement Guidelines has been tallied and scrutinized. Thank you to everyone who participated.

After 3097 voters from 146 Wikimedia communities voted, the results are 76% in support of the Enforcement Guidelines, and 24% in opposition. Statistics for the vote are available. A more detailed summary of comments submitted during the vote will be published soon.

From here, the results and comments collected during this vote will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for their review. The current expectation is that the Board of Trustees review process will complete in March 2023. We will update you when their review process is completed.

On behalf of the UCoC Project Team, JPBeland-WMF (talk) 19:29, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

This section was archived on a request by: Johannnes89 (talk) 06:46, 7 March 2023 (UTC)

Your wiki will be in read only soon

Read this message in another language • Please help translate to your language

The Wikimedia Foundation tests the switch between its first and secondary data centers. This will make sure that Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia wikis can stay online even after a disaster. To make sure everything is working, the Wikimedia Technology department needs to do a planned test. This test will show if they can reliably switch from one data centre to the other. It requires many teams to prepare for the test and to be available to fix any unexpected problems.

All traffic will switch on 1 March. The test will start at 14:00 UTC.

Unfortunately, because of some limitations in MediaWiki, all editing must stop while the switch is made. We apologize for this disruption, and we are working to minimize it in the future.

You will be able to read, but not edit, all wikis for a short period of time.

• You will not be able to edit for up to an hour on Wednesday 1 March 2023.
• If you try to edit or save during these times, you will see an error message. We hope that no edits will be lost during these minutes, but we can't guarantee it. If you see the error message, then please wait until everything is back to normal. Then you should be able to save your edit. But, we recommend that you make a copy of your changes first, just in case.

Other effects:

• Background jobs will be slower and some may be dropped. Red links might not be updated as quickly as normal. If you create an article that is already linked somewhere else, the link will stay red longer than usual. Some long-running scripts will have to be stopped.
• We expect the code deployments to happen as any other week. However, some case-by-case code freezes could punctually happen if the operation require them afterwards.
• GitLab will be unavailable for about 90 minutes.

This project may be postponed if necessary. You can read the schedule at wikitech.wikimedia.org. Any changes will be announced in the schedule. There will be more notifications about this. A banner will be displayed on all wikis 30 minutes before this operation happens. Please share this information with your community.

Trizek (WMF) (Discussion) 21:20, 27 February 2023 (UTC)

This section was archived on a request by: Johannnes89 (talk) 06:50, 7 March 2023 (UTC)

Help

I was blocked at sr.wiki. Where can I explain my case, I have no trust in local admins KrleNS (talk) 23:03, 6 February 2023 (UTC)

@KrleNS: we here at the Meta-Wiki can't do anything directly about your block on srwiki. Please review their blocking information here: w:sr:Википедија:Правила блокирања. After that it appears you may place this template:w:sr:Шаблон:Деблокирање on your user talk page there to request an unblock review. — xaosflux ^Talk 23:50, 6 February 2023 (UTC)

I would gladly do that, but it won't help. --KrleNS (talk) 23:51, 6 February 2023 (UTC)

@KrleNS I'm sorry for your frustration, however the meta-wiki functionaries can't step in and do things about decisions like this made on local projects that have functioning communities. That project appear to be active, with active editors/admins/bureaucrats. As such, decisions about who may be blocked is up to them. Block appeal is some local information that may also help you. In checking, it appears that your block expires in 3 days there - I suggest just taking a break and returning after. — xaosflux ^Talk 00:20, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Sr.wiki has serious flaws. I don't mean it is biased (more than any other), I would like to addressed overall quality, e.g. bad translations, double standards... So bad that would embarrass whole idea. I and get blocked for raising that issue, and those who make 'are trustworthy, e.g. An admin (!) translated (via Google translate or he simply lacks proficiency in English). An example. He translated and artilce on w:Jaipur#Demographics. Sentence in question is the child sex ratio was recorded 854. He translated it as "дечији w:sr:полни однос је 854."[1] (Child sex intercourse is 854). An editor that has checkuser rights (!) regularly writes articles with machine translated text to win in contests organized by sr.wiki community. --KrleNS (talk) 00:43, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Wikimedia Enterprise financial report and product update

Dear all,
Following the initial announcement and project launch in 2021, and press release about first customers in 2022, the Wikimedia Enterprise team has today published the first financial report and a summary of a forthcoming product update.

This has been published today on the Diff blog, here:

https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/02/07/wikimedia-enterprise-financial-report-product-update/
[also available in German]

One of the principles of the Wikimedia Enterprise project has been “the publication of overall revenue and expenses, differentiated from those of the Wikimedia Foundation in general, at least annually”. We are therefore proud to present the inaugural edition of the Wikimedia Enterprise financial report – covering the calendar-year 2022, its first year of operations.

The update also includes a description of some of the API features that have been under development. While the primary use-case is companies which consistently require very high-speed updates of very large amounts of Wikimedia content, it is important to note that there are several free-access methods.

If you have written questions or comments about the update, please share them on the project’s talkpage on Meta. As described in the blogpost, we consider this report covering the 2022 calendar year to be a “beta” version. We are actively seeking feedback about how its structure, content, and explanations can be improved for the next edition in late 2023, which will cover the 2022-23 fiscal year.

If you prefer real-time conversation: A public meeting will be hosted by the Enterprise team this Friday, February 10 @1900 UTC to discuss this announcement - details on the project homepage.

If you have any other questions please consult the FAQ.

Sincerely, LWyatt (WMF) (talk) 14:29, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

First steps in building the WMF Product & Technology annual plan

The Wikimedia Foundation’s Product and Technology Departments have published a first overview for the forthcoming annual plan (the fiscal year 2023/2024): Wikimedia Foundation Annual Plan/2023-2024/Draft/Product & Technology. The plan is still at the very high level and is a work in progress. The document describes the draft work portfolios (nominally called "buckets") and some potential objectives for them. If you have thoughts or questions at this early stage, please comment on the talk page so that we can keep discussions in one place. If you prefer to wait until things become clearer - this is perfectly fine too! A call for feedback on the specifics of the annual plan is planned for later in the process - this is just a start. LWyatt (WMF) (talk) 09:17, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

Official WMF staff affiliation and signature disambiguation

In accordance with en-Wikipedia "username policy", the (WMF) parenthetical is the only disambiguation qualifier mentioned as being in use to identify the official nature and affiliation of an account and the WMF staff member responsible for its operation. Until this day, it has sufficiently met my associated needs and expectations. Today, however, I have encountered several accounts using a -WMF qualifier that are clearly official accounts yet the nuanced intent of their differentiation is not obvious (to me) and can not be, otherwise, discerned through policy awareness. I am, therefore, prompted to ask:

1.) What is the intended difference between the two disambiguation qualifiers mentioned herein? 2.) Are any other official qualifiers currently in use? If so, what are they and what does their usage infer?

The answers given here may end up being used to update information where needed, so please: be accurate with answers given, provide hyperlinks to verification if known, and edit from an official account if possible. Thank you.--John Cline (talk) 09:18, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

John Cline, I believe the change was because of the problems encountered in rendering (WMF) in RTL writing systems. The only difference between the two styles is whether the account was created before or after the switch from (WMF) style to -WMF. Cabayi (talk) 10:15, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

@John Cline: as Cabayi notes above, this difference is solely down to addressing some RTL-rendering issues. As to your second question, I am aware of some affiliates who will append affiliations to 'official accounts' (WMDE being the most prominent example). Hope that helps — TheresNoTime-WMF (talk • they/them) 18:19, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

@John Cline, it's been an option for more than a decade; see User:Aaharoni-WMF. The parenthetical version has been preferred in the past, but the hyphenated version was available upon request by anyone who expected to be posted at RTL wikis. Now the hyphenated version is preferred.

I believe that non-admins can't register an account that contains the string "WMF" anywhere in the username (e.g., User:WmFaulkner, User:MatthewMFranklin). As a result, if you see "WMF" anywhere in the username, it's at least very likely that it's the staff account for someone at the WMF. Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 20:40, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

Community feedback-cycle about updating the Wikimedia Terms of Use starts

Hi everyone,

From February, 21 to April 2023, the Wikimedia Foundation Legal Department is hosting a feedback cycle about updating the Wikimedia Terms of Use (ToU). Detailed information has been published here.

The Terms of Use are the legal terms that govern the use of websites hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Feedback on the draft proposal will be gathered from February through April.

This update comes in response to several things:

1. Implementing the Universal Code of Conduct
2. Updating project text to the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license (CC 4.0)
3. A proposal for better addressing undisclosed paid editing
4. Bringing the ToU in line with current and recently passed laws affecting the Wikimedia Foundation including the European Digital Services Act

Regarding the Universal Code of Conduct and its enforcement guidelines, we are instructed to ensure that the ToU include it in some form.

Regarding CC 4.0, the communities had determined as the result of a 2016 consultation that the projects should upgrade the main license for hosted text from the current CC BY-SA 3.0 to CC BY-SA 4.0. We’re excited to be able to put that into effect, which will open up the projects to receiving a great deal of already existing CC BY-SA 4.0 text and improve reuse and remixing of project content going forward.

Regarding the proposal for better addressing undisclosed paid editing, the Wikimedia Foundation intends to strengthen its tools to support existing community policies against marketing companies engaged in systematic, undisclosed paid editing campaigns.

Finally, regarding new laws, the last ToU update was in 2015, and that update was a single item regarding paid editing. The last thorough revision was in 2012. While the law affecting hosting providers has held steady for some time, with the recent passage of the EU’s Digital Services Act, we are seeing more significant changes in the legal obligations for companies like the Wikimedia Foundation that host large websites. So with a decade behind us and the laws affecting website hosts soon changing, we think it’s a good time to revisit the ToU and update them to bring them up to current legal precedents and standards.

As part of the feedback cycle two office hours will be held, the first on March 2, the second on April 4.

See this page to get all the information.

For further information, please consult:

• The proposed update of the ToU by comparison
• The page for your feedback
• Information about the office hours

On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Legal Team,

JPBeland-WMF (talk) 15:36, 21 February 2023 (UTC), fixed links: --Dušan Kreheľ (talk) 15:19, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

Bhojpuri language

Request to all editor, You all use Google Translate and create more pages in Bhojpuri language. राजा भोजपुरिया (talk) 14:47, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

@राजा भोजपुरिया, do you speak the language yourself, or is it via Google Translate that you translate pages into it as well? --Base (talk) 15:50, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

My mother tongue is Bhojpuri. I am write & speak easyly. राजा भोजपुरिया (talk) 15:53, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

Admins of Greek wikipedia

Hello! I would like to know where I can to denounce the admins behavior of the Greek wp, for violation of policies. Thank you. HBPEMD (talk) 17:42, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

I suppose you could open a discussion at w:el:Βικιπαίδεια:Σημειωματάριο διαχειριστών, they have ~20 admins that can check each other. — xaosflux ^Talk 21:58, 27 February 2023 (UTC)

help , I went down that rabbit hole yesterday because I wanted to correct some discrepancies on my village's page, I shocked & the more I click the more I find. I'm too new and overwhelmed at how horrible it is to even know how to help. Vialitsa (talk) 17:37, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

First of all, sorry for my bab english, i use translator.

They are all inactive. In fact, at the moment there are only 2 administrators - the very ones who are causing the problems. The rest are either inactive, or come in for 5 minutes whenever they can.

The conversations I open up all end in my blocking, and not just me. Other users are being abused, I just decided to come here. Most people just leave the wp. 130.43.66.45 00:43, 28 February 2023 (UTC)