We champion everyone’s right to free knowledge online.
We protect users’ privacy and speech. We educate governments and policymakers about the importance of the free and open internet. Regardless of location or circumstance, everyone has the right to seek and share knowledge.
Protecting the right to speak and learn freely
We advocate for public policy that opens access to free knowledge. We oppose government-imposed censorship and overzealous copyright laws, and we defend people’s right to share knowledge globally.
Defending free expression
Governments and individuals often ask us to remove or change project content or share information about our users. We push back when these requests could harm users’ rights. We tell you about these requests in our Transparency Report.
Standing up for our users
We help contributors respond to legal and policy threats relating to their work on Wikimedia projects. For example, we are suing the United States National Security Agency, challenging their mass surveillance of Wikimedia readers and contributors. In 2022, we advocated for changes to Chile’s draft bill on digital platform regulation.
Supporting the Wikimedia movement and other partners
Volunteer contributors take the lead on setting and enforcing content rules. Our sponsorships and research initiatives support the Wikimedia movement, civil society, and academic partners working to maintain a policy and legal environment that protects community-run free knowledge projects.
Speaking up for free knowledge and access to an open internet
We stand for the right of everyone, everywhere to participate in free knowledge. In early 2022, when sanctions were imposed against the Russian government for invading Ukraine, we worked with our partners to make sure the Russian people could continue to access the open internet.
Fighting legal battles to make free knowledge possible
Access to knowledge around the world is under constant attack. At Wikimedia, we work to give access to knowledge to everyone, for free, forever. We go to court to fight against censorship and promote open licenses to ensure our materials can be used and revised globally.
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News — Noticias
Wikimedia Foundation, ACLU, and Knight Institute Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to NSA’s Mass Surveillance
The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court today to review a challenge to the National Security Agency’s (NSA) mass surveillance of Americans’ private emails, internet messages, and web communications with people overseas, also known as its “Upstream” surveillance program. In its petition, Wikimedia asks the Court to reject the….
Wikimedia Foundation Earns Accreditation to the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Council (ECOSOC)
Through a historic vote on 21 July 2022, the Wikimedia Foundation was granted accreditation by the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Council (ECOSOC). The Foundation thanks the cosponsors of the corresponding resolution that was proposed by the United States, Italy, Sweden, and Estonia earlier this week, and all the ECOSOC members who voted for it. ….
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Photo credits
Felix, Satdeep, Stalinjeet and Manavpreet at Wikimedia Conference 2017
Jason Krüger for Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
Wikipedia promotional video - Superdotada
Wikimedia Mexico, ISLA, NatalyPop, and the Wikimedia Foundation
