Wikipedia Volunteers Threaten Strike After Wikimedia Foundation Dismantles Community Tech Team
By
Al Landes
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
The Wikimedia Foundation dismantled its six-person Community Tech team on May 20, which built tools requested by Wikipedia's volunteer editors. In response, 700 volunteer editors are threatening to stop maintaining Wikipedia, potentially crippling the platform's ability to catch vandalism and maintain quality. The move comes amid a union drive by foundation staff, raising concerns about the future of the internet's most trusted information source.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledSeven hundred volunteer editors threaten to stop maintaining Wikipedia after foundation fires community tech team during union drive
Can you imagine Wikipedia without its army of volunteer editors catching vandalism within minutes of publication?
Community Tech functioned as Wikipedia's diplomatic corps, translating editor wishlist items like plagiarism detection and dark mode into actual code
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