Don’t Blink: Public Policy Snapshot for October 2022

Welcome to the “Don’t Blink” series! Every month we share developments from around the world that shape people’s ability to participate in the free knowledge movement. In case you blinked this month, here are the most important topics that have kept the Wikimedia Foundation’s Global Advocacy team busy.

To learn more about our team and the work we do, join one of our monthly conversation hours, follow us on Twitter (@WikimediaPolicy), sign up to our Wikimedia public policy mailing list, or visit our Meta-Wiki page.

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Asia and Australia

EU-ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue: Our Lead Public Policy Specialist for Asia attended the EU-ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue throughout 24–26 October, which tackled the impact of global energy crisis with digitalization. During the event, attendees discussed decentralized content moderation and the Foundation’s values. The EU Mission to ASEAN shared their interest to know more about the Wikimedia model.

C20 Summit: We participated in the C20 Summit on 4–7 October, the global civil society forum that runs parallel to the Group of 20 (G20) forum. This process, which we’ve also supported financially this year, convenes civil society organizations from around the world to discuss issues related to digital transformation and inequities, among other topics. At the Summit, our Lead Public Policy Specialist for Asia moderated a session about cross-border data flows and digital inclusion, and highlighted how the Wikimedia model can be an option to foster knowledge creation and critical thinking.

European Union

Participation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Meeting: Ziski Putz, our Movement Advocacy Manager, attended the Wikimedia CEE Meeting in Ohrid, North Macedonia. She ran a workshop in which participants heard from three Wikimedians’ experiences running freedom of panorama campaigns in Estonia, Ukraine, and Georgia. The information they shared set the foundation for participants to brainstorm the first steps for a freedom of panorama campaign in Uzbekistan. You can read the session description and see the slide deck.

United States

Comments to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking: On 20 October, the Foundation filed comments in the Federal Trade Commission’s Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking. The Foundation’s comments highlighted its privacy best practices and strongly supported rules that would encourage data minimization, limit data retention, and improve transparency surrounding data collection and use practices. We also cautioned against taking action that would jeopardize free expression and encouraged the FTC to incentivize companies to conduct human rights impact assessments.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF15): On 15 October, Amalia Toledo, our Lead Public Policy Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean, participated in the 15th edition of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF15). Amalia joined a panel entitled “Human Rights Protection in digital environments in Latin America and the Caribbean.” The speakers reflected on the progress and challenges of human rights protection in digital environments in the region. They also identified global, regional, national, and local initiatives serving as good examples for shaping democratic internet regulatory frameworks that guarantee human rights. 

Additional Developments

Movement for a Better Internet: On 26 October, the Movement for a Better Internet launched its hub and invited supporters to sign up. The Foundation joined this coalition as a founding member. Membership also includes some of our long-time allies in the free knowledge movement, such as Creative Commons and the Internet Archive, as well as digital rights groups from the US and abroad. The coalition serves to highlight the work of its members to positively shape the internet and to inspire others to also work towards a public interest internet.

Access to Knowledge (A2K) Coalition: on 10 October, the Access to Knowledge (A2K) Coalition launched their website. Membership includes our long-time allies in the free knowledge movement, such as Creative Commons, as well as digital rights groups, educators, researchers, libraries, archives, museums, and other knowledge users. The coalition will be an important venue to ensure that users’ rights are reflected in copyright frameworks around the world, particularly in places where access to knowledge and culture need equally strong protections.

Announcements from our Team

End of Conversation Hours Pilot: The Global Advocacy team completed its pilot of community conversation hours. The pilot ran from June to October 2022. To end the session, the Global Advocacy team shared its vision of public policy priorities for the free knowledge movement. The presentation is available on Wikimedia Commons and recordings can be accessed via the details on this Meta-Wiki webpage. We are currently collecting feedback; please help us improve by sharing your thoughts via the Movement Strategy and Governance forum, event talk page, or by emailing Ziski (fputz@wikimedia.org).

ICYMI—Updates to Global Advocacy team resources: The Global Advocacy team shared refreshed resources and upcoming spaces with colleagues. We’ve put together the following resources:

• Diff blog post outlining who we are, what we do, and why we exist
• FAQ on the Foundation’s advocacy and public policy efforts
• We are collecting feedback via the FAQ Talk page, emails to Ziski (fputz@wikimedia.org), or comments on the Movement Strategy Forum

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Follow us on Twitter, check our Meta-Wiki, or join our mailing list for updates. We hope to see you there!