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I burned myself out advocating for this some seven years ago: https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2013-December/073785.html https://lists.wikimedi
by nullc 6y ago
I burned myself out advocating for this some seven years ago:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2013-December/073785.html https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2013-Decemb...
Unfortunately, the incentive structure at Wikipedia has challenges. Editors suffer under every ounce of abuse but the cost of excluded contributions is nearly invisible and not felt personally by anyone.
The result is that convincing people to take even small risks (of abuse) or costs (of tech measures to mitigate abuse without compromising user privacy) is extremely hard.
Hopefully this research will help shift the balance.
- FabHK 6y agoHope so. I nearly always use a VPN, and can't contribute to Wikipedia (even if logged in) due to that. I've once requested an exemption, but it was not granted. So, they basically exclude anyone that's somewhat privacy conscious, or frequently travels to weird jurisdictions that make use of a VPN advisable, or lives in such jurisdictions. As you say, an invisible loss.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- raverbashing 6y agoTrue At the same time, as you mention, excluding contributions is cheap and that's what initial contributors feel worse about: that they can't contribute effectively I like how the article starts with: > An activist in the Middle East can provide a different perspective on an article about politics in their own country than a collaborator in northern Europe. And they deserve to add their voices to the conversation safely. When they will most likely get a "original research" deletion of their contribution