We protect the right to free knowledge.
Everyone, everywhere has the right to access and share knowledge. By working with Wikimedia volunteers and affiliate organizations around the world, we protect free and open knowledge online, the people who make it possible, and our shared values.
Defending free expression
We defend everyone’s right to access free knowledge. We protect free expression rights; oppose government-imposed censorship; and educate governments, regulators, and lawmakers to defend people’s right to access and share knowledge globally.
Advancing better internet regulations
We help lawmakers support the right of online platforms and communities to create and share knowledge. We advocate laws that protect our ability to host content that Wikimedia volunteers share and edit. We are transparent about how we handle government demands to remove content or share data.
Promoting open copyright licenses
Creating and remixing content is vital for Wikimedia projects. We support copyright laws that promote a strong public domain and enable the use of free and open licenses so Wikimedia volunteers can contribute to knowledge broadly.
Upholding human rights
Volunteers may face surveillance, harassment, and retaliation for their work on Wikimedia projects. We defend their human rights, and we work to promote a safe online environment to create and share knowledge.
Protecting privacy
Privacy enables people to engage and share knowledge freely, without fear of someone watching their online lives. We defend everyone’s right to privacy and challenge mass surveillance.
Fighting disinformation
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.
Learn more about our work, including research initiatives and how to get involved.
Stay up-to-date by following us on Twitter, reading our monthly public policy and advocacy recap, and joining our mailing list.
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Wikimedia Foundation blocked once again by China for accreditation to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
14 March 2023, San Francisco, CA, USA – Yesterday, the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, was rejected for accreditation to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). The accreditation was once again blocked by China, marking the fourth time that China has….
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Wikimedia Foundation’s Challenge to NSA Mass Surveillance
WASHINGTON, February 21, 2023 — The U.S. Supreme Court today denied the Wikimedia Foundation’s petition for review of its legal challenge to the National Security Agency’s (NSA) “Upstream” surveillance program. Under this program, the NSA systematically searches the contents of internet traffic entering and leaving the United States, including Americans’ private emails, messages, and web….
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Photo credits
Jason Krüger for Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
