Zensur der Wikipedia

2016-01-22T09:26:47Z

SolidBlock: /* China */

{{about|censorship of Wikipedia by governments|censorship of Wikipedia by Wikipedia itself|:Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not censored}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Censorship by country}}

'''Censorship of Wikipedia''' has occurred in several countries, including China, France, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan. Some instances are examples of widespread [[internet censorship]] in general that includes Wikipedia content. Others are indicative of measures to prevent the viewing of specific content deemed offensive.

== By country ==

=== China ===
{{further|Internet censorship in China}}

[[Chinese Wikipedia]] was launched in May 2001.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/19/AR2006021901335.html|title=Reference Tool on Web Finds Fans, Censors|first=Philip|last=Pan|work=The Washington Post|date=20 February 2006|accessdate=23 December 2011|location=Beijing}}</ref> Wikipedia received positive coverage in China's state press in early 2004, but it was blocked on 3 June 2004 on the 15th anniversary of the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]. Proposals to practice [[self-censorship]] in a bid to restore the site were rejected by the Chinese Wikipedia community.<ref name="WSJ" /> However, a story in the [[International Herald Tribune]] comparing entries on Chinese Wikipedia and English Wikipedia on topics such as [[Mao Zedong]] and Taiwan concluded that the Chinese entries were "watered down and sanitized" of political controversy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500486_162-2218394-500486.html|title=Is Wikipedia China Really Wikipedia?|first=Brian|last=Montopoli|date=30 November 2006|accessdate=23 December 2011|publisher=[[CBS News]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}{{dead link|date=February 2014}}</ref> On 22 June 2004, access to Wikipedia was restored without explanation.<ref name="WSJ" /> Wikipedia was blocked again for unknown reasons in September,<ref name="ifex">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifex.org/china/2005/10/21/authorities_block_access_to_online/|title=Alert: Authorities block access to online encyclopaedia|date=21 October 2005|accessdate=23 October 2011|publisher=[[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]]}}</ref> but only for four days.<ref name="WSJ" /> Wikipedia was blocked in China in October 2005. Wikipedia users Shi Zhao and Cui Wei wrote letters to technicians and authorities to try to convince them to unblock the website. Part of the letter read, "By blocking Wikipedia, we lose a chance to present China's voice to the world, allowing evil cults, Taiwan independence forces and others . . . to present a distorted image of China."<ref name="WSJ" />

In October 2006, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that [[English Wikipedia]] was unblocked in China, although [[Chinese Wikipedia]] remained blocked. [[New media]] researcher [[Andrew Lih]] blogged that he could not read the English-language article on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/16/technology/16wikipedia.html|title=Chinese Government Relaxes Its Total Ban on Wikipedia|first=Noam|last=Cohen|date=16 October 2006|accessdate=23 December 2011|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Lih said that "there is no monolithically operating [[Great Firewall of China]]", noting that for users of various [[internet service providers]] in different locations in China–[[China Netcom]] in Beijing, [[China Telecom]] in Shanghai, and various providers in [[Anhui]]—Chinese Wikipedia was only blocked in Anhui.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.andrewlih.com/blog/2006/10/11/china-partially-unblocks-wikipedia/| title=China PARTIALLY unblocks Wikipedia| accessdate=24 December 2006| publisher=andrewlih.com blog}}</ref> Advocacy organization [[Reporters Without Borders]] praised Wikipedia's leaders for not [[self-censorship|self-censoring]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6154444.stm|title=China 'unblocks' Wikipedia site|date=16 November 2006|accessdate=23 December 2011|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

On 10 November 2006, Lih reported that Chinese Wikipedia appeared to have been fully unblocked.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.andrewlih.com/blog/2006/11/10/chinese-wikipedia-now-fully-unblocked/| title=Chinese Wikipedia now fully unblocked? | accessdate=24 December 2006| publisher=andrewlih.com blog}}</ref> Lih confirmed the full unblocking several days later and offered a partial analysis of the effects based on the rate of new account creation on Chinese Wikipedia. Prior to the unblocking, 300–400 new accounts were created on Chinese Wikipedia daily. In the four days after the unblocking, the rate of new registrations more than tripled to over 1,200 daily, jumping into the second fastest growing Wikipedia after the English version. Similarly, there were 75% more articles created in the week ending on 13 November than during the week before. Coming on the same weekend that Chinese Wikipedia passed the 100,000 article mark, Lih predicted that the second 100,000 would come quickly but that the existing body of Chinese Wikipedia users would have their hands full teaching the new users basic Wikipedia policies and norms.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.andrewlih.com/blog/2006/11/13/chinese-wikipedias-surge-in-growth/| title=Chinese Wikipedia's Surge in Growth | accessdate=24 December 2006| publisher=andrewlih.com blog}}</ref>

On 16 November 2006, [[Reuters]] news agency reported the main page of Chinese Wikipedia could be displayed, except for some taboo political subjects, such as "4 June, [1989 protests]".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.oneindia.in/2006/11/16/wikipedia-unblocked-in-china-after-year-long-ban-1163687797.html| title=Wikipedia unblocked in China after year-long ban| accessdate=24 December 2006| agency=Reuters}}</ref> However, subsequent reports suggested that both the Chinese and English versions had been reblocked the next day on 17 November.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.danwei.org/internet/the_nanny_changes_her_mind_wik.php| title=The Nanny changes her mind: Wikipedia blocked again| accessdate=24 December 2006| publisher=DANWEI}}</ref> On 15 June 2007, access to apolitical articles on English Wikipedia was restored.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/online/new-media/news/index.cfm?newsid=3540 |title=English Wikipedia unblocked in China |accessdate=20 June 2007}}</ref> On 6 September 2007, IDG News reported that English Wikipedia was blocked again.<ref>{{cite news | last = Schwankert| first = Steven | title = Wikipedia Blocked in China Again | publisher = IDG News via PCworld | date = 6 September 2007| url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136879-c,sites/article.html| accessdate =26 January 2008 }}</ref> On 2 April 2008, ''[[The Register]]'' reported that the blocks on English and Chinese Wikipedias was lifted.<ref>{{cite news | last = Barak | first = Sylvie | title = China uncensors Wikipedia | publisher = The Inquirer | date = 3 April 2008| url = http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/03/china-uncensors-wikipedia | accessdate =3 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=Chinese net censors unblock BBC, Wikipedia
|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/31/chinese_unblock_bbc/
|work = The Register
|author=Cade Metz
|date = 31 July 2008
|accessdate =31 July 2008}}</ref> This was confirmed by the [[BBC]], and came within the context of foreign journalists arriving in Beijing to report on the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] and the [[International Olympic Committee]]'s request for [[press freedom]] during the games.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7535280.stm "Beijing unblocks BBC Chinese site"], BBC, 31 July 2008</ref> In September 2008, [[Jimmy Wales]] had a meeting with [[Cai Mingzhao]], Vice Director of China's [[State Council Information Office]]. While no agreements were made, Wales believes that a channel of communication has been opened between Wikipedia's community and the [[PRC Government]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2008/10/jimmy-wales-mee.html |title=Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales meets China's censors |publisher=Rconversation.blogs.com |date=1 October 2008 |accessdate=13 June 2011}}</ref>
{{as of|2012}}, both Chinese and English Wikipedias are accessible in China<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2012/11/15/wikipedia-founder-caps-off-mse-symposium-58006/ |title=Wikipedia founder caps off MSE Symposium |publisher=The Johns Hopkins News-Letter |date=15 November 2012 |accessdate=23 November 2012}}</ref> except for political articles. If a Chinese IP tries to access (including searching) a "sensitive" article, the IP will be blocked from visiting Wikipedia for from several minutes to up to an hour.<ref>[http://www.zdnet.com/academics-break-the-great-firewall-of-china-2039372326/ "Academics break the Great Firewall of China"], Tom Espiner, ZDNet, 4 July 2006</ref>

Chinese authorities started blocking access to the secure ([[https]]) version of the site on 31 May 2013, although the non-secure ([[http]]) version is still available – the latter is vulnerable to keyword filtering allowing individual articles to be selectively blocked. Greatfire urged Wikipedia and users to circumvent the block by using https access to other IP addresses owned by Wikipedia.<ref>McMillan, Graeme (4 June 2013) [http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/china-censors-wikipedia-ahead-of-tiananmen-square-anniversary/#ixzz2VK0jhEHk "Chinese authorities apparently started blocking access to the site this past May 31"], ''Digital Trends''.</ref> In 2013, after Jimmy Wales stated that Wikipedia will not tolerate "5 seconds" of censorship, Shen Yi, an Internet researcher at [[Fudan University]] in [[Shanghai]] said, that while "Wikipedia is tough against the Chinese government, it may not necessarily be so grand when faced with US government or European justice systems' requirements to modify or delete articles or disclose information".<ref>[http://news.21cn.com/world/guojisaomiao/a/2013/0813/05/23400699.shtml "维基百科：宁愿放弃中国业务网络审查“5秒都不行"] ("Wikipedia would rather give up business in China than tolerate '5 seconds of Internet Censorship' "), Global Times, 13 August 2013.</ref>

According to ''[[Huffington Post]]'' as of June 2015, both encrypted and un-encrypted [[Chinese Wikipedia|Chinese-language Wikipedia]] are blocked.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Charlie |date=18 June 2015 |title=We Had Our Arguments, But We Will Miss You Wikipedia |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlie-smith/we-had-our-arguments-but-_b_7610130.html |newspaper=Huffington Post |location=United States |access-date=19 June 2015 }}</ref>
Due to technological changes to the site’s encryption, the government cannot see which specific pages an individual is viewing. Therefore, Beijing is no longer able to filter out certain pages (such as [[Ai Weiwei]] or [[Tiananmen Square]]) as it did in the past years. As a result, Beijing chose to block the whole Chinese Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Naidu |first=Sumisha |date=2 December 2015 |title=Wikipedia boss to lobby China to unblock website |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/wikipedia-boss-to-lobby/2312740.html |newspaper=Channel News Asia |location=Singapore |access-date=5 December 2015 }}</ref> Wikipedia founder [[Jimmy Wales]] said he would fly to China to lobby the Chinese government to unlock the site within two weeks at the Leadership Energy Summit Asia 2015 in [[Kuala Lumpur]] on 2 December 2015. It seemed that Jimmy's statement reminded the Chinese government that they had just blocked the Chinese version of Wikipedia. Later, Beijing completely blocked all language versions of the site again on the afternoon of 4 December (local time).<ref>{{cite news |date=5 December 2015 |title=China has blocked Wikipedia again |url=http://www.pixelstech.net/article/1449361467-China-has-blocked-Wikipedia-again |newspaper=PixelsTech.net |location= |access-date=6 December 2015 }}</ref> A large amount of Chinese netizens complained about this blocking on social networks, although most of the complaints had been deleted after a short period.<ref>{{cite news|title=基金会全站IP被墙维基百科所有语言全面阵亡|url=http://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/2015/12/%E5%9F%BA%E9%87%91%E4%BC%9A%E5%85%A8%E7%AB%99ip%E8%A2%AB%E5%A2%99-%E7%BB%B4%E5%9F%BA%E7%99%BE%E7%A7%91%E6%89%80%E6%9C%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%A8%80%E5%85%A8%E9%9D%A2%E9%98%B5%E4%BA%A1/|accessdate=29 December 2015|publisher=China Digital Times|date=4 December 2015}}</ref> However, it became possible to visit Wikipedia in other languages on the afternoon of December 6 (local time) in China again.<ref>{{cite journal|title=维基创始人：向鲁炜介绍了运作模式不知为何在内地被禁|journal=South China Morning Post|date=18 December 2015|url=http://www.nanzao.com/sc/national/151b35d2ba62d9d/wei-ji-chuang-shi-ren-xiang-lu-wei-jie-shao-liao-yun-zuo-mo-shi-bu-zhi-wei-he-zai-nei-di-bei-jin|accessdate=29 December 2015}}</ref>

Jimmy Wales met [[Lu Wei (politician)|Lu Wei]], the director of [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] on 17 December 2015 during the [[World Internet Conference]] held in [[Wuzhen]], [[Zhejiang]]. Wales said that this is the first time they met, there is no consensus on specific issues, but "meet and know each other". Wales told Lu Wei how Wikipedia and Wikimedia work in the world, and expressed the hope to establish regular meeting mechanism with Lu Wei and Cyberspace Administration of China in the future. A reporter asked if he would order Wikipedia to hide some information to maintain stable operations in China, he responded that "never."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=楊立贇|title=維基百科創辦人稱永不以審查換解禁　今首晤網信辦未達共識|journal=Ming Pao|date=17 December 2015|url=http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20151217/s00004/1450326332419|accessdate=17 December 2015}}</ref>
But even Jimmy Wales' own words have been censored: he said that the improvements in [[machine translation]] might make it “no longer possible” for authorities to control flows of information in the future during a panel discussion. However, in official translation, which turned out to be that this kind of improvements will help governments to better analyze online communications.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Areddy|first1=James T.|title=Anti-Wikipedian Translation At China’s Internet Conference|journal=WSJ|date=17 December 2015|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/12/17/anti-wikipedian-translation-at-chinas-internet-conference/|accessdate=29 December 2015}}</ref>

'''To solve your problem, please add this in your [[hosts (file)|hosts]]:'''
198.35.26.96 zh.wikipedia.org

=== France ===
{{further|Internet censorship in France}}

In April 2013, a Wikipedia article describing the [[Pierre-sur-Haute military radio station]] attracted attention from the French interior intelligence agency [[Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur|DCRI]]. The agency attempted to have the article about the facility removed from the [[French Wikipedia|French language Wikipedia]]. The DCRI pressured [[Rémi Mathis]], a [[Administrators (Wikipedia)|volunteer administrator]] of the French language Wikipedia and resident of France, into deleting the article.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/07/french-secret-service-wikipedia-page | title=French secret service accused of censorship over Wikipedia page|last1=Willsher |first1=Kim |date=7 April 2013 |work= The Guardian| accessdate=7 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Franzoesischer-Geheimdienst-verlangt-Loeschung-eines-Wikipedia-Artikels-1836501.html | title=Französischer Geheimdienst verlangt Löschung eines Wikipedia-Artikels |last1=Kleinz |first1=Torsten |date=6 April 2013 |work= Heise Online |publisher= Heise | language=German | accessdate=5 April 2013}}</ref> The [[Wikimedia Foundation]] asked the DCRI which parts of the article were causing a problem, noting that the article closely reflected information in a 2004 documentary made by ''Télévision Loire 7'', a French local television station, which is freely available online.<ref Name=Guardian /><ref>{{cite news|language=French|first=Guerric |last=Poncet |title=Wikipédia et DCRI : la chaîne locale "s'attend" à être censurée |work=Le Point |location=Paris |date=9 April 2013 |url=http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/guerric-poncet/wikipedia-et-dcri-la-chaine-locale-s-attend-a-etre-censuree-09-04-2013-1652341_506.php |accessdate=9 April 2013}}</ref> The DCRI refused to give these details, and repeated its demand for deletion of the article. According to a statement issued by [[Wikimédia France]] on 6 April 2013:

{{quotation|The DCRI summoned a Wikipedia volunteer in their offices on April 4th [2013]. This volunteer, which was one of those having access to the tools that allow the deletion of pages, was forced to delete the article while in the DCRI offices, on the understanding that he would have been held in custody and prosecuted if he did not comply. Under pressure, he had no other choice than to delete the article, despite explaining to the DCRI this is not how Wikipedia works. He warned the other sysops that trying to undelete the article would engage their responsibility before the law. This volunteer had no link with that article, having never edited it and not even knowing of its existence before entering the DCRI offices. He was chosen and summoned because he was easily identifiable, given his regular promotional actions of Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in France.|[[Wikimédia France]]<ref name="WMFr" />}}

Later, the article was restored by another Wikipedia contributor.<ref name="WMFr">{{cite press release | url=http://blog.wikimedia.fr/dcri-threat-a-sysop-to-delete-a-wikipedia-article-5493 | publisher=Wikimédia France | title=French homeland intelligence threatens a volunteer sysop to delete a Wikipedia Article|date=6 April 2013 | accessdate=6 April 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2013/04/06/la-dcri-accusee-d-avoir-force-illegalement-la-suppression-d-un-article-de-wikipedia_3155405_651865.html {{lang|fr|La DCRI accusée d'avoir illégalement forcé la suppression d'un article de Wikipédia}}] – [[Le Monde]], 6 April 2013 {{fr icon}}</ref> As a result of the controversy, the article became the most read page on the French Wikipedia,<ref name=Ars>{{cite news|last=Geuss|first=Megan|title=Wikipedia editor allegedly forced by French intelligence to delete "classified" entry|url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/wikipedia-editor-allegedly-forced-by-french-intelligence-to-delete-classified-entry/|accessdate=7 April 2013|newspaper=[[Arstechnica]]|date=6 April 2013}}</ref> with over 120,000-page views during the weekend of 6/7 April 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.grok.se/fr/201304/Station_hertzienne_militaire_de_Pierre-sur-Haute|title=Wikipedia article traffic statistics for 'Station hertzienne militaire de Pierre-sur-Haute'|work=stats.grok.se}}</ref> It was translated into multiple other languages.<ref>[[d:Q10369016|List of translations]] on [[Wikidata]]</ref> The French newspaper ''[[20 minutes (France)|20 minutes]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.20minutes.fr/web/1132567-20130406-dcri-accusee-avoir-exige-suppression-article-wikipedia|title=La DCRI accusée d'avoir fait pression pour obtenir la suppression d'un article Wikipedia|work=20 minutes|date=6 April 2013|language=French}}</ref> ''[[Ars Technica]]'',<ref name=Ars /> and a posting on ''[[Slashdot]]'',<ref>{{cite web |author= saibot834 |date= 6 April 2013 |title= French intelligence agency forces removal of Wikipedia entry |url= http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/04/06/139216/french-intelligence-agency-forces-removal-of-wikipedia-entry |publisher= [[Slashdot]] |accessdate= 7 April 2013 }}</ref> noted it as an example of the [[Streisand effect]] in action. The [[Ministry of the Interior (France)|French Ministry of the Interior]] told the [[Agence France-Presse]] that it did not wish to comment on the incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/societe/20130406.AFP8963/la-dcri-accusee-d-avoir-fait-supprimer-un-article-sur-wikipedia.html|title=La DCRI accusée d'avoir fait supprimer un article sur Wikipedia|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=6 April 2013|language=French}}</ref>

According to a judicial source quoted in an AFP story on 8 April, the article's deletion "was performed as part of a preliminary inquiry" led by the "anti-terrorist section of the Paris prosecutor's office" on the grounds that the French language Wikipedia article compromised "classified material related to the chain of transmission for nuclear launch orders".<ref>{{cite news|language=French |last1=CP |first2=Anne-Claire |last2=Huet |url=http://lci.tf1.fr/france/faits-divers/le-retrait-de-l-article-wikipedia-demande-dans-le-cadre-d-une-enquete-7917906.html |title=Le retrait de l'article Wikipedia demandé dans le cadre d'une enquête préliminaire |work=[[La Chaîne Info]] |date=8 April 2013 |accessdate=9 April 2013}}</ref>

Following the incident, ''Télévision Loire 7'' said that it expected that the DCRI would request that it take down the original 2004 report on which the Wikipedia article was based, though it had been filmed and broadcast with the full cooperation of the French armed forces.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/guerric-poncet/wikipedia-et-dcri-la-chaine-locale-s-attend-a-etre-censuree-09-04-2013-1652341_506.php|title=Wikipédia et DCRI : la chaîne locale "s'attend" à être censurée|work=Le Point|last=Poncet|first=Guerric|date=10 April 2013|accessdate=9 April 2013|language=French}}</ref> The National Union of [[Commissaire de police|Police Commissaires]] suggested that the next step would be for the judiciary to order French Internet service providers to block access to the Wikipedia article.<ref name="Syndicat">{{cite news|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/guerric-poncet/un-syndicat-de-police-demande-le-filtrage-de-wikipedia-10-04-2013-1652817_506.php|title=Un syndicat de police évoque le filtrage de Wikipédia|work=Le Point|last=Poncet|first=Guerric|date=10 April 2013|accessdate=10 April 2013|language=French}}</ref> However, the France-based {{abbr|NGO|non-governmental organisation}} [[Reporters Without Borders]] criticised the DCRI's actions as "a bad precedent". The organisation's spokesperson told ''[[Le Point]]'' that, "if the institution considers that secret defence information has been released, it has every opportunity to be recognised by the courts in arguing and clarifying its application. It is then up to the judge, the protector of fundamental freedoms, to assess the reality and extent of military secrecy." The spokesperson noted that the information contained in the article had come from a documentary that had previously been filmed and distributed with the cooperation of the army, and that the hosts and intermediaries should not be held responsible.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/guerric-poncet/rsf-denonce-les-manoeuvres-de-la-dcri-contre-wikipedia-10-04-2013-1652880_506.php
|title=RSF dénonce les 'manoeuvres de la DCRI' contre Wikipédia
|work=Le Point|last=Poncet|first=Guerric|date=10 April 2013|accessdate=10 April 2013|language=French}}</ref>

=== Iran ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Iran}}
In a November 2013 report published by the [[Center for Global Communication Studies]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]], researchers Collin Anderson and Nima Nazeri scanned 800,000 [[Persian Wikipedia|Persian language Wikipedia articles]] and found that the Iranian government blocks 963 of these pages. According to the authors, "Censors repeatedly targeted Wikipedia pages about government rivals, minority religious beliefs, and criticisms of the state, officials, and the police. Just under half of the blocked Wiki-pages are biographies, including pages about individuals the authorities have allegedly detained or killed."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.global.asc.upenn.edu/fileLibrary/PDFs/CItation_Filtered_Wikipedia_Report_11_5_2013-2.pdf |title=Citation Filtered: Iran's Censorship of Wikipedia |last1=Anderson |first1=Colin |last2=Nazeri |first2=Nima |date=7 November 2013 |publisher=Center for Global Communication Studies (University of Pennsylvania) |accessdate=}}</ref> Anderson said that Persian Wikipedia, as a microcosm of the Iranian internet, is a "useful place to uncover the types of online content forbidden and an excellent template to identify keyword blocking themes and filtering rules that apply across the greater internet."<ref>{{cite news |date=12 November 2013 |title=How Iran Uses Wikipedia To Censor The Internet |url=http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/how-iran-uses-wikipedia-to-censor-the-internet |agency=BuzzFeed}}</ref> In May 2014, according to [[Mashable]], the Iranian government blocked at least two pages on the [[Farsi Wikipedia]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Iran-blocks-access-to-Google-Wikipedia-Report/articleshow/35257015.cms | title=Iran blocks access to Google, Wikipedia: Report | work=[[Times of India]] | date=17 May 2014 | accessdate=17 May 2014}}</ref>

According to [[Reporters Without Borders]], the Iranian government has blocked access to [[Kurdish Wikipedia]] for extended periods of time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.rsf.org/print.php3?id_article=20016 |title=Iran:New York Times website unblocked, YouTube still inaccessible |date=7 December 2006 |website= |publisher= |accessdate=}}</ref>

=== Italy ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Italy}}

On 4 October 2011, following a decision adopted by the community, the contents of the [[Italian Wikipedia|Italian version of Wikipedia]] were hidden and the website was blocked by its administrators, as a protest against paragraph 29 of the "''[[DDL intercettazioni]]''" (Wiretapping Bill).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg16/lavori/stampati/pdf/16PDL0038530.pdf |title=Camera dei Deputati: disegno di legge N. 1415-B |language=Italian |date=11 June 2010 |accessdate=4 October 2011 |publisher=Camera dei Deputati}} ([http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=it&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.camera.it%2F_dati%2Fleg16%2Flavori%2Fstampati%2Fpdf%2F16PDL0038530.pdf English translation])</ref> The proposed bill would empower anyone who believes themselves to have been offended by the content of a web site to enforce publication of a reply, uneditable and uncommented, on the same web site, within 48 hours and without any prior evaluation of the claim by a judge or to face a €12,000 fine.

On 4, 5 and 6 October, all pages on the Italian version of Wikipedia redirected to a statement opposing the proposed legislation.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/italy-wikipedia-wiretapping-2011-10 "Wikipedia Shuts Down Italian Site In Response To Berlusconi's New Wiretap Act"], Adam Taylor, ''Business Insider'', 4 October 2011</ref> On 7 October, the Italian Wikipedia pages were again available, but a notice about the proposed legislation was still displayed at the top of pages.

=== Pakistan ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Pakistan}}

For seven hours on 31 March 2006, the entire domain of Wikipedia.org was blocked in Pakistan because one article contained information pertaining to the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|controversial cartoons of Muhammad]].<ref>{{cite news | url= http://archives.dawn.com/2006/03/14/top16.htm | title= Websites blocked, PTA tells SC: Blasphemous material | date=14 March 2006 | publisher= Dawn}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/pakistan-blocks-wikipedia/ |title=Pakistan Blocks Wikipedia |publisher=Blogcritics |date=31 March 2006 |accessdate=13 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://karachi.metblogs.com/2006/03/31/wikipedia-blocked-in-pakistan-for-seven-hours/ |title=Wikipedia Blocked in Pakistan for seven hours |publisher=Karachi Metblogs |date=31 March 2006 |accessdate=13 April 2010}}</ref>

The English version of Wikipedia was blocked in Pakistan for several days in May 2010 during the controversy surrounding [[Everybody Draw Mohammed Day]].<ref name="basitali blocked">{{cite web
| url= http://www.basitali.com/2010/05/youtube-wikipedia-flickr-blocked-in-pakistan-after-facebook.html
| title= Youtube, Wikipedia, Flickr blocked in Pakistan after Facebook
| last= Ali
| first= Basit
| date= 20 May 2010
| accessdate =2011
}}</ref><ref name="Pakistan blocks 10130195">{{cite news
| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10130195
| title= Pakistan blocks access to YouTube in internet crackdown
|publisher=BBC News
| date= 20 May 2010
| accessdate=2011}}</ref>

=== Russia ===
{{further|Censorship in Russia#Internet}}

On 5 April 2013, it was confirmed by a spokesperson for the [[Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media]] (also known as Roskomnadzor) that Wikipedia had been blacklisted over the article "[[:ru:Курение каннабиса|Cannabis Smoking]]" on Russian Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130405/180469665.html |title=Russia May Block Wikipedia Access Over Narcotics Article | RIA Novosti |agency=RIA Novosti |date=6 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=Interfax |url=http://rbth.ru/news/2013/04/05/russian_media_regulator_confirms_wikipedia_blacklisted_24706.html |title=Russian media regulator confirms Wikipedia blacklisted |publisher=Russia Beyond The Headlines |date=5 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Russians Selectively Blocking Internet|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/technology/russia-begins-selectively-blocking-internet-content.html?_r=1&|newspaper=The New York Times|date=31 March 2013}}</ref>

On 18 August 2015, an article in Russian Wikipedia about [[charas]] ([[:ru:Чарас (наркотическое вещество)|Чарас]]), a type of cannabis, was blacklisted by Roskomnadzor (executing an order of a provincial court issued two months earlier) as containing detailed description on making narcotics.<ref name=th1>{{cite web | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/russia-threatens-to-block-wikipedia-over-cannabis-page-10464894.html | title=Russia threatens to block Wikipedia over cannabis page | work=The Independent | date=21 August 2015 | accessdate=21 August 2015 | author=Boren, Zachary Davies}}</ref> Wikipedia argued that article was originally written using UN materials and textbooks, but on 24 August it was included in the list of forbidden materials, sent to Internet providers of Russia. As Wikipedia uses HTTPS protocol, effectively all the site with all language versions of Wikipedia could be blocked in Russia from the night on 25 August.<ref>http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38bbbd98-4a7f-11e5-9b5d-89a026fda5c9.html</ref> According to the reports, there were intermittent blocking of Russian non-mobile version in certain regions, but mobile version continued to operate.<ref>http://ria.ru/society/20150825/1205381104.html</ref> In the morning on 25 August Roskomnadzor excluded the article from the list of forbidden materials, saying that "We have been informed by the [[Federal Drug Control Service of Russia|Federal Drug Control Service]] that sufficient edits were made to met the conditions of court order".<ref>http://kommersant.ru/doc/2795794</ref> According to Wikimedia Russia director, the page was quickly edited by Wikipedia volunteers to avoid violations of the law, and maybe 10-20% of Russian users felt issues with Wikipedia access at the night of 25th<ref>http://govoritmoskva.ru/news/50229/</ref>

=== Saudi Arabia ===
{{further|Censorship in Saudi Arabia}}
On 11 July 2006, the Saudi government blocked access to Google and Wikipedia for its sexual and politically sensitive content.<ref>http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=85616&d=19&m=7&y=2006 {{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref><ref>http://www.arabianews.org/english/article.cfm?qid=189&sid=2 {{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref>
Many articles from the [[English Wikipedia|English]] and [[Arabic Wikipedia]] projects are censored in Saudi Arabia.<ref>[[Wikipedia:List of articles censored in Saudi Arabia]]</ref>

=== Syria ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Syria}}

Access to the [[Arabic Wikipedia]] was blocked in Syria between 30 April 2008 and 13 February 2009, although other language editions remained accessible.<ref name="ISN2008">{{cite web|author=Institute for War and Peace Reporting|date=3 June 2008|url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/Security-Watch/Detail/?ots591=4888CAA0-B3DB-1461-98B9-E20E7B9C13D4&lng=en&id=88422|title=Syrian youth break through internet blocks|publisher=|accessdate=1 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Ar icon}} [http://www.menassat.com/?q=ar/alerts/3726- Arabic Wikipedia Disappears From The Internet in Syria], Menassat, 19 May 2008 ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.menassat.com/?q=ar/alerts/3726- English translation])</ref>

=== Tunisia ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Tunisia}}

The [[Wikimedia]] website was inaccessible from Tunisia between 23 and 27 November 2006.<ref>[http://globalvoicesonline.org/2006/11/26/tunisia-censoring-wikipedia/ "Tunisia: Censoring Wikipedia?"], Sami Ben Gharbia, Global Voices, 27 November 2006.</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
{{See also|Internet Watch Foundation and Wikipedia|Internet censorship in the United Kingdom}}

In December 2008, the [[Internet Watch Foundation]], a UK-based [[non-government organization]], added the Wikipedia article ''[[Virgin Killer]]'' to its internet [[blacklist]] due to the cover image and the illegality of [[child pornography]]; the image had been assessed as the lowest level of legal concern: "erotic posing with no sexual activity".<ref name="rating">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/08/amazon-internet-censorship-iwf|title=Wikipedia row escalates as internet watchdog considers censoring Amazon US over Scorpions image|last=Arthur|first=Charles|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|date=8 December 2008|accessdate=8 December 2008}}</ref> As a result, people using many major UK [[ISP]]s were blocked from viewing the entire article by the [[Cleanfeed (content blocking system)|Cleanfeed]] system,<ref name="rating" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Wikipedia child image censored |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7770456.stm|publisher=BBC News |date=8 December 2008 |accessdate=8 December 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iLhtaFheXFcickVqO0crbKo1IiawD94U23N87 AP: Wikipedia article blocked in UK over child photo]{{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref> and a large part of the UK was blocked from editing Wikipedia owing to the means used by the IWF to block the image. Following discussion, representations by the Wikimedia Foundation,<ref>[http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Censorship_of_WP_in_the_UK_Dec_2008 "Censorship in the United Kingdom disenfranchises tens of thousands of Wikipedia editors"], [[Wikimedia Foundation]] press release, 7 December 2008</ref> and public complaints,<ref>[http://news.zdnet.co.uk/leader/0,1000002982,39574104,00.htm ZDNet] cites "floods of angry users".</ref> the IWF reversed their decision three days later, and confirmed that in future they would not block copies of the image that were hosted overseas.<ref name="IWF">{{cite web|url=http://www.iwf.org.uk/media/news.archive-2008.251.htm|title=IWF statement regarding Wikipedia webpage|work=[[Internet Watch Foundation]]|accessdate=9 December 2008}}{{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref>

=== Uzbekistan ===
{{further|Internet censorship in Uzbekistan}}

The entire Wikipedia was briefly blocked twice in Uzbekistan, in 2007 and 2008.<ref name='"RIA"'>{{cite news|title=Uzbekistan Blocks Its Wikipedia|url=http://en.ria.ru/world/20120217/171367528.html|accessdate=21 February 2012|agency=RIA Novosti|date=17 February 2012}}</ref> Blocking of the [[Uzbek Wikipedia]] caught the attention of the international press in late February 2012.<ref name="RFE/RL">{{cite news|title=The Uzbek Wikipedia is Blocked in Uzbekistan (In Uzbek)|url=http://www.ozodlik.org/content/article/24486333.html|newspaper=[[RFE/RL]]'s Uzbek Service|accessdate=14 July 2012|date=16 February 2012}}</ref> Internet users in Uzbekistan trying to access Uzbek-language pages were redirected to [[MSN]]. Users in Uzbekistan could easily open Wikipedia articles in other languages. Only Uzbek-language articles were blocked.<ref name='"RFE/RL (English)"'>{{cite news|title=Wikipedia Articles in Uzbek Blocked|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbek_wikipedia_blocked/24486460.html|accessdate=21 February 2012|newspaper=[[RFE/RL]]'s Uzbek Service|date=16 February 2012}}</ref>

As of August 2015, the Uzbek Wikipedia is available for Uzbekistan users when the [[HTTPS]] protocol is used.

== See also ==
*[[Internet censorship#Wikipedia]]
*[[Deletionism and inclusionism in Wikipedia]]
*[[Criticism of Wikipedia#Sexual content]]

== References ==
{{Reflist |30em}}

== External links ==
{{meta|Wikimedia projects blocks}}
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/19/AR2006021900851.html ''Full Text: Cui Objects to Wikipedia Shutdown''] (translated by The Washington Post Beijing Bureau)
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/18/AR2006021800672.html ''Full Text: Shi's Defense of Wikipedia''] (translated by The Washington Post Beijing Bureau)

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