Wikimedia Foundation Bulletin 2025 Issue 14

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on July 11. Previous editions of this bulletin are on Meta. Let askcac@wikimedia.org know if you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement! The bulletin will be back after Wikimania with a special issue on August 19.

Upcoming and current events and conversations

Let’s Talk continues

• Wikimania 2025: Register to join virtually the 20th Wikimania taking place from August 6-9. The programme has highlights from across Wikimedia projects and communities including the reveal of who will be this year’s Wikimedians of the year.
• Strengthening a neutral point of view: An overview of NPOV policies across Wikipedia projects, shows that 153 Wikipedias out of 342 (45%) don’t have easily accessible guidance on neutrality. The research was conducted to help understand how neutrality is ensured in our projects. and to provide an opportunity for peer learning across project communities. Read the full research and join the conversation.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure

See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Research · Web · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Tech News: See all the 60 community-submitted tasks that were resolved over the last two weeks in Tech News week 29 and 30. For example, the request to add Malayalam fonts in the Wikisource Book Export Tool was resolved and now, the rendering of Malayalam letters in exported Wikisource books are accurate.
• Temporary Accounts: After the rollout of temporary accounts on 18 large and medium-sized Wikipedias, we are monitoring the impact of this change, and preparing for the next deployments. See the full project update.
• Add a link: Administrators can now limit “Add a Link” to newcomers, as opposed to keeping it open to more experienced editors as well. “Add a link” helps newcomers to start editing, so restricting the feature to them enables Administrators to cater the feature to that specific group, which they can do via the Community Configuration feature.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support

See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Digital Safety: PEN America shares 5 tips for bolstering your safety and privacy online.
• Amicus brief: Our amicus brief in Patterson v. Meta: Defending free speech and the open internet in another Section 230 legal case.
• UK Online Safety Act: Court hearings for the Wikimedia Foundation’s challenge to the UK Online Safety Act “Categorisation Regulations” happened on July 22 and 23. A verdict is not expected until August.
• Advocacy sessions: Collaborate for change at these policy advocacy sessions at Wikimania 2025.
• Public-Interest content: Expanding Indonesian Wikipedia with Public-Interest Content through Project Gayatri.
• The Wikipedia Test: Learn how to use the Wikipedia Test, a tool to protect the public interest internet.
• Equity Fund: As it closes, the Equity Fund has announced its final round of grants to six past grantees. It will also be providing four “Connected Grants” to movement organizations who will pair closely with one of the grantees to collaborate together.
• Don’t blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.
• Content Translation: Translators who use the Suggestions feature in the Content Translation tool can now select and receive article suggestions that are customized to geographical locations of their interest using the new “Regions” filter.
• Wikifunctions: Wikifunctions now has a new kind of Types: Wikidata-based enumerations, also known as light-weight enumerations.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness

See also: quarterly Metrics Reports

• Endowment: Sharing the Wikimedia Endowment’s Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 – 2024. Learn more from the frequently asked questions.

Board and Board committee updates

See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Annual plan: The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees approved the Foundation’s annual plan for next year virtually in their quarterly meeting. You can read more about the goals for next year and a summary of the continuous conversations that shaped the plan.
• Board selection: The Elections Committee shared a list of the all eligible candidates. As there are more than 10 eligible candidates, a shortlisting process is currently taking place. Representatives of Wikimedia movement affiliates that are currently compliant with their reporting obligations can participate in the shortlisting process. Learn more about this process and next steps on Meta.

Foundation statements

• WIPO permanent observer: For fifth time, China blocks Wikimedia Foundation as permanent observer to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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