Comment by ndriscoll
1 day ago
I don't understand why Wikipedia would fall under Category 1. Am I looking at the wrong thing, or does the definition in 3.(1) not require the service to use an algorithmic recommendation system (which Wikipedia does not do)?
I'm not sure if this Wikipedia's official policy but at https://medium.com/wikimedia-policy/wikipedias-nonprofit-hos... they do say:
> Definition of content recommender systems: Having any “algorithm” on the site that “affects” what content someone might “encounter”, is seemingly enough to qualify popular websites for Category 1. As written, this could even cover tools that are used to combat harmful content. We, and many other stakeholders, have failed to convince UK rulemakers to clarify that features that help keep services free of bad content — like the New Pages Feed used by Wikipedia article reviewers—should not trigger Category 1 status. Other rarely-used features, like Wikipedia’s Translation Recommendations, are also at risk.
> Content forwarding or sharing functionality: If a popular app or website also has content “forwarding or sharing” features, its chances of ending up in Category 1 are dramatically increased. The Regulations fail to define what they mean by “forwarding or sharing functionality”: features on Wikipedia (like the one allowing users to choose Wikipedia’s daily “Featured Picture”) could be caught.
"Content forwarding or sharing functionality" seems like it would cover any website with a URL.
So it means every website is Category 1. How convenient.
As I understand it, they refer to some of the moderation tools and the likes, which are not part of the typical Wikipedia experience.
Everybody including the judges seem to agree this is dumb but it's the current law.
I agree, it does seem odd. They do promote bits of their content on the main page, I assume with an algorithm, but it's hardly like a social media feed.
Last time I checked, many many years ago, the front page was just an ordinary wiki page like any other, and its content was manually added.
Could well be manually added.
1 reply →
Because laws are not interpreted in a logical way. Especially the laws with a 'safety' aspects.
The random article button uses algorithms to decide what content to show to the user.
Wikipedia is based in San Francisco. Why can't they just tell the UK to pound sand?
Adding to what others said, they can just let UK block Wikipedia, but as a foundation that tries to share knowledge I think they're obliged to try avoid that. So they're doing just that right now, by challenging the law.
Wikipedia's "gone black" before: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA..., IMO blocking access to the whole of UK would've been a big move that could've been effective.
They presumably have editors in the UK, foundation members who live or work or travel there
they would at least want to block the UK from accessing it first?
Because some of Wikipedia's editors are based in the UK.