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2021 Wikimedia Foundation actions on the Chinese Wikipedia - Wikipedia Jump to content

2021 Wikimedia Foundation actions on the Chinese Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Logo of Wikimedians of Mainland China, the user group being investigated in the action
Logo of Gongbi Quanshu, the successor of Wikimedians of Mainland China and the operator of Qiuwen Baike

The Wikimedia Foundation took several actions in response to Chinese government infiltration of Chinese Wikipedia as well as harassment by pro-Beijing editors during the Hong Kong protests. In August 2021, the Wikipedia Foundation modified the security terms in the "access to nonpublic personal data policy", and users with advanced permissions allowing them to retrieve IP address data of other users on Chinese Wikipedia had their access revoked. At 16:13, September 13, 2021 GMT (00:13, September 14, 2021 Beijing Time), the Wikimedia Foundation globally banned seven accounts from editing Wikipedia, revoked the administrative rights of twelve accounts, and warned twelve other users.[1][2] Four of the top ten most active administrators on Chinese Wikipedia had their rights revoked.[3]

Maggie Dennis, Vice President of Community Resilience and Sustainability for the Legal Department at Wikimedia Foundation, conducted a yearlong investigation into "infiltration concerns" that threatened the "very foundations of Wikipedia". Dennis observed that the infiltrators had tried to promote "the aims of China, as interpreted through whatever filters they may bring to bear". The investigation had also found that an unaffiliated Wikipedia user group of approximately three hundred members from Mainland China, the Wikimedians of Mainland China (WMC or WMCUG), had been involved in vote-stacking and manipulation of administrative elections.[4][5][6] [7] Suggesting possible links to the Chinese Communist Party, Dennis said "We needed to act based on credible information that some members (not all) of that group [WMC] have harassed, intimidated, and threatened other members of our community, including in some cases physically harming others, in order to secure their own power and subvert the collaborative nature of our projects".[8][9] After the Wikimedia Foundation took action against the WMC editors, the Taiwanese Wikipedia community noted that such an action was long overdue and released a statement saying “We need to rebuild an inclusive wiki that welcomes everyone from all places who wants to contribute to Chinese language Wikipedia in good faith...Many people have felt unsafe for years, so restoring a shared sense of comfort is likely to take some time”. [10]

State-sponsored editors/administrators

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Yan "Techyan" Enming in 2019

Despite being censored in mainland China, and as VPNs are normally not allowed to edit Wikipedia, Wikipedia administrators from China have permitted IP block exemption for a select number of mainland users. Such users are recruited to change the editorial content on Wikipedia in support of China's viewpoint and/or to support the election of pro-Chinese government administrators on Wikipedia, with the aim of gaining control of Wikipedia as part of the Chinese Communist Party's coordinated efforts to push their preferred narrative on platforms that have respected worldwide credibility.[11][12] There has also been an exodus of volunteer editors leaving Baidu Baike, a domestic competitor beset by problems of self-censorship and commercialization, to join Chinese Wikipedia because the "contributors wanted the privilege of working on a higher-quality internet encyclopedia" that also "carries a great deal of international power".[13][14] Observers have suggested that such moves are not just due to patriotic mainlanders but a "larger structural coordinated strategy the government has to manipulate these platforms" beside Wikipedia, such as Twitter and Facebook.[15]

Chinese Wikipedia volunteers who edit on topics considered controversial by the state authorities, such as about Hong Kong protests, can face harassment and persecution.[16][17][18][19] The resulting pro-Beijing Wikipedia community, the Wikimedians of Mainland China (WMC), has clashed with Wikipedia editors from Taiwan and Hong Kong, not only over content disputes on Wikipedia articles, but also making death threats made against their Wikimedia communities. In particular, the WMC has threatened to report Wikipedia editors to Hong Kong’s national security police hotline over the disputed article "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests" characterized by edit warring.[20]

Comments

[edit]

In September 2020, the Chinese government blocked the Wikimedia Foundation from observer status at WIPO citing the existence of a Wikimedia affiliate in Taiwan. As a result the Wikimedia Foundation began investigating WMC. Maggie Dennis said that the Chinese Wikipedia was under investigation by the Foundation for nearly a year.[21]

In an announcement on Wikimedia about the actions, Maggie Dennis acknowledged the radical nature of the Foundation's actions but stressed that the decision was based on a number of considerations and an in-depth investigation.[3] The Foundation decided to take action after Maggie Dennis told the media that editors had tried to manipulate the content of articles as well as the election of administrators and that other editors had been physically harmed. However, she did not intend to accuse the Chinese government.[22][2][Note 1]

In response, Wikimedians of Mainland China posted an open letter on Qiuwen [zh], calling the Wikimedia Foundation's actions baseless (莫須有ゆう) and declaring its intention to resist the crackdown with practical action.[1][23][24] The Global Times, a tabloid officially owned and operated by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, alleged that the Wikimedia Foundation "purged" the Chinese editors.[25]

In an interview with the BBC Tech Tent program commenting on the latest obsessions about China, Maryana Iskander, the new Chief Executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, emphasized the autonomy of the Wikipedia community and said, "One of the very early things that I've learned in this process is that certainly the Wikimedia Foundation does not play a role in setting editorial policy and that these are the debates that happen in communities."[26][27]

Jimmy Wales, the cofounder of Wikipedia, commented on these actions in an interview with BBC: "I have deep experience of talking to people all over the world, and the idea that people in China, for example, are so brainwashed that they can't see that neutrality is just false," but said "The idea that we are excluding China, is absurd. We welcome with open arms editors from China."[28]

Subsequent events

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On October 7, 2021, at the 62nd session of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the People's Republic of China voted against the Wikimedia Foundation's application to become an official observer of the WIPO on the grounds that Wikipedia violated the "one-China principle" and "disseminated false information".[29] China was the only country out of the 193 members of the organization to vote against the WIPO application,[30] causing Wikimedia Foundation's application to fail.

A Wikimedian showed a screenshot to Voice of America of an announcement made by globally locked user "Walter Grassroot" in the Wikimedians of Mainland China QQ group after the foundation's application was rejected. According to the announcement, after the foundation blocked Chinese users, Chinese Wikimedians submitted relevant documents to the Chinese Embassy in Geneva through various channels. Walter Grassroot also suggested that the failure of the foundation's application was good news.[31] From 2021 to 2023, all attempts by the Wikimedia Foundation and local chapters to join WIPO failed.

Qiuwen Baike

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Main article: Qiuwen Baike
Qiuwen Baike
Screenshot
Native name
求もとめ闻百科か
Type of site
Online encyclopedia
Available inSimplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese (support traditional and simplified conversion)
Predecessor(s)Chinese Wikipedia
Country of originChina
OwnerWuxi Gongbi Quanshu Technology Company Limited (formerly Wikimedians of Mainland China) [citation needed]
Founder(s)Wikimedians of Mainland China
URLwww.qiuwenbaike.cn
CommercialNo
RegistrationRequired to edit
Content license
CC Attribution / Share-Alike 4.0

In an interview with the BBC in late October 2021, globally-banned WMC member Yan "Techyan" Enming and 6 other users said the user group was attempting to create a "Chinese version of Wikipedia",[32] a platform that would represent Beijing's views on some political issues for people in mainland China to access without a VPN with oversight from the People's Republic of China government and would use some of Wikipedia's content.[32]

In December 2021, WMC member Techyan told Fast Company that "a tech giant" was negotiating a partnership with them, and that more than 40 Chinese Wikipedia editors had joined Qiuwen with has a total of 200 active editors. and that people would be involved in both Wikipedia and Qiuwen.[33]

In February 2022, ByteDance's subsidiary Baike.com denied the existence of a partnership between ByteDance and WMC to provide technical and financial support for Qiuwen baike.[34]

In April 2022, the encyclopedia "Qiuwen baike" created by WMC became open to access, and editors from Taiwan carried out cyber attacks on the site. As of June 2023, Qiuwen baike was open for editing.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Chen Guanrong. "內部編輯へんしゅう遭恐嚇，維基媒體ばいたい基金ききん會かい拔除多た名めい「中國ちゅうごく大陸たいりく維基人じん用よう戶と組ぐみ」成員せいいん" [Internal editors were intimidated, and the Wikimedia Foundation removed several members of the "Mainland China Wikipedia User Group"]. TechNews 科技かぎ新報しんぽう (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "维基百科以亲中势力渗透为由封禁"中国ちゅうごく大だい陆维基もと人じん用よう户组"七なな名めい编辑" (in Chinese). BBC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b 鄭てい樂らく捷とし (September 15, 2021). "維基封鎖ふうさ7名めい中國ちゅうごく大陸たいりく用よう戶と 指ゆび為ため保障ほしょう用よう戶ど安全あんぜん" (in Chinese). 美国びくに之の音おと. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Vallance, Chris (September 16, 2021). "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  6. ^ "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. October 4, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Harrison, Stephen (October 26, 2021). "Why Wikipedia Banned Several Chinese Admins". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. October 4, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. October 4, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  16. ^ Cheng, Selina (July 11, 2021). "Wikipedia wars: How Hongkongers and mainland Chinese are battling to set the narrative". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Cheng, Selina (July 14, 2021). "Hong Kong Wikipedia editors take precautions amid fears mainland peers may report users to national security police". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  18. ^ "On Chinese Wikipedia, a bitter battle rages to define the Hong Kong protests". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Manas Sharma; Simon Scarr (November 28, 2019). "How Hong Kong's keyboard warriors have besieged Wikipedia". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Cheng, Selina (July 11, 2021). "Wikipedia wars: How Hongkongers and mainland Chinese are battling to set the narrative". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans". BBC News. September 16, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "忧渗透とおる与あずか起おこり底そこ风险 维基百科对中国编辑下禁令" (in Chinese). 德とく國こく之の聲こえ. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "維基百科ひゃっか禁きん 7 內地用よう戶と 指ゆび有ゆう滲透しんとう起おこり底そこ風ふう險けん 內地群ぐん組ぐみ：準備じゅんび鬥爭". 立場たちば新聞しんぶん Stand News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  24. ^ 观察者しゃ网 (September 17, 2021). "维基百科ひゃっか封ふう禁きん7名めい中国ちゅうごく大だい陆编辑：他た们想搞"渗透"". 新しん浪なみ新しん闻 (in Chinese). Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "维基百科ひゃっか封ふう杀7个中文ぶん编辑，仅仅因いん为他们拒绝涉中ちゅう话题被ひ污染" (in Chinese). 环球时报. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  26. ^ "Tech Tent: Wikipedia's editing war". BBC.
  27. ^ "Tech Tent – what next for Wikipedia?". BusinessGhana. September 18, 2021.
  28. ^ "Wikipedia in Chinese editing war of words". BBC. October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  29. ^ Moody, Glyn (October 7, 2021). "If You Want To Know Why Section 230 Matters, Just Ask Wikimedia: Without It, There'd Be No Wikipedia". Techdirt. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "【維基百科ひゃっか】中方なかほう「一票いっぴょう反對はんたい」 「維基媒體ばいたい基金ききん」二度被拒聯合國機構". RFA. October 7, 2021.
  31. ^ 郑乐捷とし (October 7, 2021). "中国ちゅうごく再度さいど以台湾たいわん为由 阻止そし维基媒体ばいたい基金ききん会かい申さる请成为世界かい知ち识产权组织观察员" (in Chinese). 美国びくに之の音おと. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "維基百科移除親北京編輯 被ひ逐者將はた建けん「中國ちゅうごく版ばん維基」". BBC News Chinese (in Chinese). October 26, 2021.
  33. ^ "The war over Chinese Wikipedia is a warning for the open internet". Fast Company. December 18, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  34. ^ "传字节跳动与中ちゅう文ぶん维基百科人员合作创建新"求もとめ闻百科か"，官かん方かた称たたえ不ふ属ぞく实" (in Chinese). 界面かいめん新しん闻.

Notes

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  1. ^ Chinese: 我わが不能ふのう够就此将矛ほこ头指向しこう中国ちゅうごく政府せいふ
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