“It is essential that new laws do not endanger positions and projects of public interest,” says the Wikimedia Foundation.
The Wikimedia Foundation, the non -profit organization behind the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, is taking legal actions against the regulations under the online security law (ASA) of the United Kingdom. The organization argues that some of the rules run the risk of the safety of its users.
The OSA requires that ofcom classify the online platforms depending on the number of users who house monthly.
Wikipedia, who recovered more than 4 billion visits last March, would be subject to ‘category 1’ according to the Rules of the Year, placing it under the same scrutiny as the large social network websites.
“Wikipedia has thousands of volunteer users based only in the United Kingdom and content of cultural institutions such as the British Library and the Wellcare collection,” says a blog from the main advisor of Wikimedia Foundation, Phil Bradley-Schmieg.
According to the Foundation, the rules would require Wikipedia to verify the identity of its volunteer users and taxpayers, which says that it could expose to data violations, on the procurement or even the prison.
“Wikipedia is not like social networks,” writes Bradley-Schmieg, arguing that the categorization is designed for social media websites and could “damage” Wikipedia if applied to it.
In addition, the verification of the identity of the voluntary user is an “exceptionally burned” task, he said. “Privacy is essential for how we keep safe and empowered users.”
The categorization rules are left “especially broad and vague” by the United Kingdom government due to limited investigation and in an attempt to avoid gaps, Bradley-Schmieg argues.
“For services such as Wikipedia to prosper, it is essential that new laws do not endanger beneficial organizations and public interest projects.”
According to the organization, its proposed solutions to counteract the risks were not accepted by the United Kingdom government and it is expected to make its first categorization decisions this summer.
“We are now taking action to protect Wikipedia volunteer users, as well as the global accessibility and integrity of free knowledge,” said the lawyer, while clarifying that the Wikimedia Foundation does not challenge Aos as a whole.
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