We Get Requests: Wikimedia’s Transparency Report for July to December of 2019
The Wikimedia Foundation’s Transparency Report is a critical part of our commitment to maintaining Wikipedia as a trustworthy and reliable resource for free knowledge. This report discloses the requests we receive to remove or alter content on the Wikimedia projects, or to release nonpublic information about our editors and readers. These requests come from governments and private individuals alike. We release this report twice a year, and the current one covers requests we received from July to December 2019.
Thousands of volunteer editors around the world write and update the Wikimedia projects and set the policies that determine what belongs on Wikipedia. They are also the people who are best able to quickly respond to requests to change or remove information from Wikipedia. As a result, in most cases, the Wikimedia Foundation does not step in to edit articles, but instead connects the people who make legitimate requests with the volunteer editors who can help them.
Some of these requests are particularly unique and we like to share two stories here:
- In November 2019, the Ukrainian government contacted us to ask about changing the spelling of their capital city on English Wikipedia, from Kiev to Kyiv. They were running a publicity campaign about the change, including on Twitter, and wanted the Foundation to make the change on Wikipedia. We explained how Wikipedia and the associated projects work, and directed them to volunteer editors who were already discussing whether or not to make the change. The English Wikipedia article about the city now features both spellings. Wikipedia draws upon third-party sources to provide neutral, accurate information. As name or spelling changes gain more acceptance, and that is reflected in those sources, Wikipedia will also reflect those changes.
- In December 2019, we were asked to weigh in on a debate among contributors, who were discussing whether or not a photo of a pilot who was killed in World War II was in the public domain, and therefore able to be hosted on Wikimedia Commons. Some volunteers thought the photo was not in the public domain and had decided to remove it. We explained Commons policy regarding free licensing and public domain to the requester. They uploaded the photo with additional detail about the circumstances of its creation. That information addressed other contributors’ questions, and the photo stayed on the projects.
Here’s what’s also new in this report:
Content alteration and takedown requests. From July to December of 2019, we received 281 requests to alter or remove content from the Wikimedia projects. The Foundation did not make any changes to project content in response to these requests, but, as always, we helped many good-faith requesters understand how the projects work and directed them to the communities of volunteer editors. 11 of these requests were from governments, including from politicians in Norway and Spain and from diplomatic offices in Taiwan and Ukraine.
Copyright takedown requests. We received 15 DMCA takedown requests during this cycle, and granted four of them, all impacting material on Wikimedia Commons. The vast majority of the content on the Wikimedia projects is freely licensed or within the public domain, with a smaller number of works that fall under an appropriate copyright exception like fair use. When we receive a request to remove project content on copyright grounds, we carefully evaluate it to ensure that it is valid before taking action.
Right to erasure. We received 11 right to erasure requests between July and December 2019. When the Foundation receives a right to erasure request regarding project content, we first direct the requester to experienced project volunteers, who review requests to change content in line with project guidelines for content about living persons.
Requests for Nonpublic User Data. We occasionally receive requests for non-public information about our users. Some of these are a simple email demanding information; in other cases, we may receive a subpoena. As we collect very little information about users, we rarely hold responsive data. To protect user privacy, we do not disclose information, unless a request is legally valid and follows our Requests for user information procedures and guidelines.
During the second half of 2019, we received 35 requests to disclose nonpublic information about users. We produced part of the information requested in response to two of these — both were civil subpoenas originating in the United States. 12 of the 35 total requests were informal demands sent to us from government entities, including from police in New Zealand and Singapore, and from a politician in Spain.
Emergency Disclosures. In rare emergency situations, we may disclose information to governments in order to protect the safety of Wikimedia users or other individuals. This category of Emergency Disclosures includes Voluntary Disclosures (when we become aware of concerning information on the Wikimedia projects and contact law enforcement) and Emergency Requests (when law enforcement contacts us with an urgent request for information related to an emergency).
Between July and December 2019, we voluntarily disclosed information 11 times, and produced information in response to one emergency request.
Stories and FAQ. In each transparency report, we include a few stories about interesting or unusual requests that we received. In addition to the examples above, this report also includes a story about a request from a government to control an article about its First Lady, and one about fair use and an edited logo, among other tales. We also include an extensive FAQ, to provide more information about the sorts of requests we receive, how we handle them, and other work we do at the Wikimedia Foundation to keep knowledge free, open, and transparent.
As always, we are excited to share this information with the world and provide more insights about how the Wikimedia projects work. We look forward to sharing more in our next report.
James Buatti, Lead Legal Counsel, Wikimedia Foundation
Leighanna Mixter, Senior Legal Counsel, Wikimedia Foundation
