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Michele Failla

How the Wikipedia model can help improve platform regulation: Recommendations for future policy-making from the DEM-DEBATE Project

Giulia Forsythe (gforsythe), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The DEM-Debate project spent almost two years investigating how Wikipedia addressed disinformation during the 2024 European elections through legal and computational analyses. This final report, produced by researchers from the University of Amsterdam and Eurecat – Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, delivers two sets of recommendations: one specifically targeting the upcoming revision of the Digital Services Act (DSA), and one drawing on Wikipedia’s governance model as a blueprint for the broader online information ecosystem. These recommendations are aimed to inform future regulation on platform regulation to strengthen the resilience of the information ecosystem.

Read More »How the Wikipedia model can help improve platform regulation: Recommendations for future policy-making from the DEM-DEBATE Project

THE DEM-Debate project came to an end: the final event

adapted illustration by Jasmina El Bouamraoui and Karabo Poppy Moletsane for Wikipedia 20, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

On February 24, the DEM-Debate partners – Wikimedia Europe, the University of Amsterdam and Eurecat – Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya – gathered at the European Parliament in Brussels for the final event of the DEM-Debate project. 

Read More »THE DEM-Debate project came to an end: the final event

DEM-Debate project: the Critical Legal Analysis

Craiyon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The latest deliverable of the DEM-Debate project authored by the University of Amsterdam explores how the new EU legal framework on election disinformation applies to Wikipedia. The legal analysis evaluates, through critical lenses, the impact of the new rules on the functioning of community-governed platforms in addressing disinformation related to the 2024 European Parliament elections, drawing some preliminary conclusions on how to inform policy making: Wikipedia editorial rules together with its patrolling system are good examples from which future legislation on election disinformation can draw inspiration.

Read More »DEM-Debate project: the Critical Legal Analysis

EU Anti-SLAPP Directive: It is time for national governments to act in favor of the public interest!

Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

SLAPPs are “strategic lawsuits against public participation”: legal cases brought to the courts in order to threaten and/or silence journalists, activists, and academics, including Wikipedia volunteer contributors. This legal phenomenon risks causing a chilling effect, which may be particularly acute in the case of those people who contribute voluntarily to Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects.

Read More »EU Anti-SLAPP Directive: It is time for national governments to act in favor of the public interest!

European Democracy Shield: we shared our views with the Commission 

George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Democracy is one of the fundamental values of the EU and today, as never before, it needs to be preserved and nurtured. Wikimedia Europe welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to adopt a European Democracy Shield to uphold the Union’s founding values.

We are convinced that Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects have a great role to play in the everyday efforts to nurture European democracy and to make the digital information ecosystem more resilient. We explained how in our submission to the public consultation launched by the European Commission. 

Read More »European Democracy Shield: we shared our views with the Commission 

A Joint Statement on the Use of Surveillance Spyware in the EU and Beyond

Gobierno Espía Ojo, Gibrán Aquino, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We took stance against the use of spyware in the EU and beyond. This pervasive technology poses significant threat to European fundamental values, such as democracy and rule of law, and risks severely infringing fundamental rights to privacy and data protection as well as freedom of expression. Alongside with other civil society and journalists’ organisations we called on the new EU Institutions and Member States to take swift action and ban the use of such a technology. We need to protect citizens, including Wikimedians, and their fundamental rights from undue interference and arbitrary behaviours. Here below you can read the statement with the specific calls for action.

Read More »A Joint Statement on the Use of Surveillance Spyware in the EU and Beyond

Wikimedia Foundation defeats gambling magnate’s lawsuit in Germany

Aerial image of Justizpalast in Munich, by Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Written by Phil Bradley-Schmieg and Jacob Rogers.

The Munich Regional Court acknowledged that the contested Wikipedia article (Tipico) contained relevant public information and was correctly sourced. This is very good news also for Wikimedia Europe, which closely followed the adoption of the anti-SLAPP Directive and will advocate for its ambitious and effective transposition in the different Member States.

Read More »Wikimedia Foundation defeats gambling magnate’s lawsuit in Germany

Anti-SLAPPs Directive: a step in the right direction. 

"Wikipedia censored", Author: Julo, License: CC-BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

 

The new legal tool only introduces minimum safeguards: it’s now up to Member States to transpose the new rules ensuring a comprehensive and meaningful protection for the victims of SLAPPs as well as freedom of expression and information.

Introduction

The European Parliament formally adopted, during the last February plenary session held in Strasbourg, the anti-SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) Directive, which it has also been referred to as Daphne’s law from the name of the Maltese journalist, Daphne Caurana Galizia, who was murdered in 2017. The adopted text is the result of the compromise that both Parliament and Council struck in November 2023, one year and half later the Commission published the proposal. Now, the text needs to be formally adopted by the Council, this will normally happen in March, and published in the Official Journal.

Read More »Anti-SLAPPs Directive: a step in the right direction.