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ItWikiCon/2023/Programma/Temi/Rischi per i volontari/Report/en

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This page is a translated version of the page ItWikiCon/2023/Programma/Temi/Rischi per i volontari/Report and the translation is 100% complete.

This is a summary of what was discussed during the session. It includes general thoughts and potential actions.

Anonymity

Anonymity and usernames.
  • Users find anonymity necessary to protect themselves from external threats that could potentially influence them.
  • Unfortunately, it might enable improper behaviours, which are however sanctioned by internal guidelines
  • Allows to protect the encyclopedia: if your name and surname are not known, it is not possible to leverage personal information to influence users
  • Basic rule: one account = one person
  • Secondary users (licit sockpuppets) are allowed but strictly regulated
  • The MediaWiki infrastructure is designed to protect anonymity - the weak link are the people

Risks for users

  • Legal threats and charges - especially for legitimate edits
  • Personal appeals from the outside - from "could you explain me why my article was deleted?" to more serious interventions
  • Consequences on personal life
  • Letters and phone calls from lawyers and similar
  • Harassment by vandals - not necessarily only online
  • Doxxing
  • Attempts of hostile takeover from pressure groups
  • Impact on the working life - loss of customers or jobs, damaged reputation, censorship and suspension from professional orders
  • Psychological pressures on administrators

What can we do?

  • Try to reduce the exposure, choosing more quiet topics or projects if you don't feel up to it
  • Wikipedia internal policies are adequate, there is no need to change them
  • More support is needed from Wikimedia Foundation (and Trust & Safety in particular)
  • The legislative framework is also highly inadequate (but there isn't much we can do about it)
  • Certainty to have the free legal support from the Foundation
  • Minimize data collection - more anonymity is needed
  • Discussions as public and participatory as possible
  • Insurance for volunteers
    • WMI could provide that, but at the price of losing the anonymity
    • discounted rates are also needed, if possible
    • the choice would only be personal and not mandatory
  • Raise awareness on the large public on the big cases (people who sue us for 500k or 20m euros)
  • Keeping at hand a legitimate secondary user that can provide more anonymity than the main one
  • Greater awareness for new administrators, guidelines and warnings from the veterans
  • Paid staff to support VRT?
  • A special reporting address, which gives the impression that we recognize the urgency of the communication
  • Greater sense of community among us; the support among volunteers is essential when something bad happens so we don't feel alone
    • Maybe more channels and/or events between us to meet and strengthen the community

Posters