Wikipedia Zero

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    Wikipedia Zero
    Browsing Wikipedia via Ncell in Nepal.

    Wikipedia Zero is a project by the Wikimedia Foundation to provide Wikipedia free of charge on mobile phones, particularly in developing markets.[1][2] The program was launched in 2012,[3] and won a 2013 SXSW Interactive Award for activism.[4] The objective of the program is to increase access to free knowledge: in particular without data-usage cost.

    Facebook Zero has been cited as an inspiration for Wikipedia Zero.[5]

    History[edit]

    Map of participating countries, as of March 2015

    Below is a selective history of launches. For a complete list of participating mobile networks and launch dates, see Wikimedia Foundation: mobile network partners.

    Participating mobile networks[edit]

    See Wikimedia Foundation: mobile network partners.

    Reception and impact[edit]

    Promotional video, produced by the Wikimedia Foundation and narrated by Jimmy Wales.
    Promotional video about free access to Wikipedia, featuring a school-class from South Africa and their open letter to tele-cos.

    The Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones of Chile ruled that zero-rating services like Wikipedia Zero, Facebook Zero, and Google Free Zone, that subsidize mobile data usage, violate net neutrality laws and had to end the practice by June 1, 2014.[18][19] The Electronic Frontier Foundation has said, "Whilst we appreciate the intent behind efforts such as Wikipedia Zero, ultimately zero rated services are a dangerous compromise."[20] Accessnow.org has been more critical, saying, "Wikimedia has always been a champion for open access to information, but it’s crucial to call out zero-rating programs for what they are: Myopic deals that do great damage to the future of the open internet."[21] The Wikimedia Foundation's Gayle Karen Young defended the program to the Washington Post, saying, "We have a complicated relationship to net neutrality. We believe in net neutrality in America," while adding that Wikipedia Zero required a different perspective in other countries: "Partnering with telecom companies in the near term, it blurs the net neutrality line in those areas. It fulfills our overall mission, though, which is providing free knowledge."[22]

    In 2015, Newsweek reported that the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, an unaccredited Indian university, misled rural families into believing it was accredited, while a Wikipedia Administrator whitewashed critical information from the school's Wikipedia page.[23] Mahesh Peri, publisher of a magazine that ran critical investigations into the school, criticised Wikipedia Zero for exposing poor farmers to biased information on the school's page.

    Hilary Heuler argues that "for many, zero-rated programs would limit online access to the 'walled gardens' offered by the web heavyweights. For millions of users, Facebook and Wikipedia would be synonymous with 'internet'."[24] In 2015, researchers evaluating how the similar program Facebook Zero shapes ICT use in the developing world found that 11% of Indonesians who said they used Facebook also said they did not use the Internet. 65% of Nigerians, 61% of Indonesians, and 58% of Indians agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet" compared with only 5% in the US.[25]

    See also[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ^ Russell, Brandon (February 22, 2013). "Wikipedia Zero Wants to Bring Wikipedia to Mobile Users Without a Data Plan". TechnoBuffalo. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    2. ^ Kul Takanao Wadhwa: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Knight Foundation, 22. Februar 2013, abgerufen am 8. April 2013.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    3. ^ Sofge, Erik (March 8, 2013). "SXSW: Wikipedia for Non-Smartphones Is Brilliant. Here's Why". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    4. ^ Riese, Monica (March 12, 2013). "SXSW Interactive Awards Announced". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, Texas: Austin Chronicle Corp. ISSN 1074-0740. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    5. ^ Conon Dillon: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". 18. Dezember 2013, abgerufen am 15. Januar 2014.
    6. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Blog.wikimedia.org, 26. Mai 2012, abgerufen am 27. Juni 2013.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    7. ^ "Mobilink brings Wikipedia Zero to Pakistan". nation.com.pk. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
    8. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Dialog, abgerufen am 30. Juli 2015.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    9. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Archive.thedailystar.net, 2. Dezember 2013, abgerufen am 24. Juni 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    10. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Thefinancialexpress-bd.com, abgerufen am 24. Juni 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    11. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Hazlehurst Media SA, abgerufen am 22. Juli 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    12. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Abgerufen am 19. Mai 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    13. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle".Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    14. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Kyivstar, abgerufen am 13. November 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    15. ^ "MTN Ghana empowers customers with free access to Wikipedia". myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
    16. ^ "MTN Ghana empowers customers with free access to Wikipedia". myjoyonline.com. Ghana News Agency. 22 December 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
    17. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle".Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    18. ^ Leo Mirani: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". Quartz, 30. Mai 2014, abgerufen am 2. Juli 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    19. ^ Jessica McKenzie: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". 2. Juni 2014, abgerufen am 2. Juli 2014.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    20. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle".Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    21. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". 8. August 2014;.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    22. ^ Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle".Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    23. ^ Alistair Sloan: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". 24. März 2015;.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    24. ^ Hilary Heuler: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". In: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle".Vorlage:Cite web/temporär
    25. ^ Leo Mirani: Script error: No such module "Vorlage:Internetquelle". 9. Februar 2015;.Vorlage:Cite web/temporär

    External links[edit]

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wikipedia Zero.Script error: No such module "Preview warning".
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