these developments are very interesting. it seems a lot must have changed for this to become a possibility. both johanna and i have written about censorship in relation to religious images and in my own explorations the "wikipedia is not censored" rhetoric was very strong, defeating those who suggested other options - including a technical opt-out function.<div>
<br></div><div>the argument in favour of opt-out (or in?) censorship seems to have changed now. the logic has moved from a "cultural sensitivity" argument (which failed) to a market based one (i'm tempted to say neo-liberal): "The feature is intended to benefit readers by offering them more choice".</div>
<div><br></div><div>i wonder if the irresistible logic of choice will win out. <br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br clear="all">Nate Tkacz <div><br></div><div>ARC Research Associate</div><div>Genealogies of Digital Light</div>
<div>The University of Melbourne</div><div>Site: <a href="http://www.digital-light.net.au/" target="_blank">http://www.digital-light.net.au/</a></div><div><br>PhD Candidate<br>School of Culture and Communication<br>The University of Melbourne<br>
<br>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/__nate__" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/__nate__</a><br><br>Research Page: <a href="http://nathanieltkacz.net" target="_blank">http://nathanieltkacz.net</a><br></div><br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 8:43 AM, Geert Lovink <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:geert@xs4all.nl">geert@xs4all.nl</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<a href="http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/08/19/1236235/Wikipedia-May-Censor-Images" target="_blank">http://news.slashdot.org/<u></u>story/11/08/19/1236235/<u></u>Wikipedia-May-Censor-Images</a><br>
<br>
"To appease 'morality' watchdogs, Wikipedia is contemplating the introduction of a censorship feature, where images would be flagged for containing sexual references, nudity, 'mass graves,' and so on. At least in the initial implementation, it is supposed to be 'opt-in.' However, with such precedents as the UK censoring artistic nudity, Turkey censoring references to the Armenian genocide or China's stance on information about the Tiananmen massacre (note that any sensitive photos, like the Tank Man, are already absent!), I find it quite hard to believe this feature won't be mandatory for some groups of readers — whether it's thanks to an oppressive government, an ISP or a school."<br>
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Begin forwarded message:<br>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
From: "Wikimedia Referendum, 2011" <<a href="mailto:improve@wikimedia.org" target="_blank">improve@wikimedia.org</a>><br>
Date: 19 August 2011 4:10:12 PM<br>
To: Glovink <<a href="mailto:geert@xs4all.nl" target="_blank">geert@xs4all.nl</a>><br>
Subject: Image filter referendum<br>
<br>
Dear Glovink,<br>
<br>
You are eligible to vote in the image filter referendum, a referendum to gather more input into the development and usage of an opt-in personal image hiding feature. This feature will allow readers to voluntarily screen particular types of images strictly for their own accounts.<br>
<br>
Its purpose is to enable readers to easily hide images on the Wikimedia projects that they do not wish to view, either when first viewing the image or ahead of time through individual preference settings. The feature is intended to benefit readers by offering them more choice, and to that end it will be made as user-friendly and simple as possible. We will also make it as easy as possible for editors to support. For its development, we have created a number of guiding principles, but trade-offs will need to be made throughout the development process. In order to aid the developers in making those trade-offs, we need your help us assess the importance of each by taking part in this referendum.<br>
<br>
For more information, please see <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image_filter_referendum/en" target="_blank">http://meta.wikimedia.org/<u></u>wiki/Image_filter_referendum/<u></u>en</a>. To remove yourself from future notifications, please add your user name at <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_nomail_list" target="_blank">http://meta.wikimedia.org/<u></u>wiki/Wikimedia_nomail_list</a>.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br></div></div>