Wikipedia Launches Legal Challenge Against UK Government

upstart writes:

New requirements could see more 'bad content' on Wikipedia, its owners warn:

The non-profit organisation behind Wikipedia has launched a legal challenge against the government's Online Safety Act, arguing that the law's requirements threaten the site's open editing model and could lead to a surge in misinformation and vandalism.

The challenge focuses on the Act's categorisation of Wikipedia as a 'Category 1' service, subjecting it to the highest level of content moderation duties.

This designation, Wikimedia Foundation owners argue, would force the site to implement user verification and content filtering measures, undermining the platform's unique system of volunteer editors and reviewers.

A key concern is the requirement to allow any user to block unverified users from editing or removing content. This, the foundation warns, disrupts the established hierarchy of volunteer editors and moderators, potentially empowering malicious actors to post harmful or false information while preventing its removal.

It also argues that this could lead to an increase in misinformation and vandalism on the platform, directly contradicting the aims of the Online Safety Act. The legal challenge seeks to revise Wikipedia's categorisation under the Act, protecting its collaborative editing model while maintaining its commitment to accuracy and user safety.

"Wikipedia is kept free of bad content because of the important work of thousands of members of the public, who can review and improve the content on the website to ensure it is neutral, fact-based and well-sourced," the Wikimedia Foundation said in a blog post.

Sophisticated volunteer communities, working in more than 300 languages, collectively govern almost every aspect of day-to-day life on Wikipedia.

Their ability to set and enforce policies, and to review, improve or remove what other volunteers post, is central to Wikipedia's success, notably in resisting vandalism, abuse and misinformation.

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