That anyone can edit © 30 April 2020 Norbert de Jonge ([email protected]); !"#N #N$ %.0 An open letter to the &i'imedia Foundation. *nline encyclopedia &i'ipedia ha+ ,ariou+ legal policies- incl)ding . hild protection../ The lead of the article on thi+ policy +tate+1 .&i'ipedia regards the +afety of children )+ing the +ite a+ a 'ey i++)e. 2ditor+ 3ho attempt to )+e &i'ipedia to pur+)e or facilitate inappropriate adult4child relation+hips- 3ho advocate inappropriate adult4child relation+hips on# or off-wi'i (e.g. by expres+ing the ,iew that inappropriate relation+hips are not harm0)l to children), or 3ho identify them+el,es a+ pedophiles- 3ill be bloc'ed or banned indefinitely.. 7)man being+ 3ho +elf-identify a+ pedophile+ on#3i'i or engage in pro-pedo acti,i+m off-wi'i cannot edit &i'ipedia. &i'ipedia- (once 'nown a+) an encyclopedia anyone can edit-2 preempti,ely di+allow+ any and all contrib)tion+ from +)ch people. &i'ipedia ha+ )+erboxes-3 +mall rectang)lar boxes that &i'ipedian+ can add to their )+er pages to expres+ them+el,es.% All 'inds of )+erboxes are in )+e, incl)ding h)ndreds related to +ex)al orientation-8 mental health-9 and politic+.: For example, ,ariou+ )+erboxes 3ith the text .Thi+ )+er identi6es a+ gay.. are )+ed by h)ndreds of &i'ipedian+.; I +elf-identify a+ a pedophile. 2,en if I 3ould refrain from ma'ing my+elf 'nown a+ +)ch on &i'ipedia- <=m not allowed to edit the encyclopedia- beca)+e <=m al+o a pro-pedo acti,i+t off-wi'i. &i'ipedia ha+ three core content policies1 neutral point of ,iew- ,eri6ability- and no original re+earch.> on,icted criminal+ 3ho abide by the+e policies are 3elcome to contrib)te to &i'ipedia- even from jail. I am not- beca)+e of my off-wi'i acti,i+t acti,itie+. ?ome of my non#pedophile ac@)aintances aren=t either- for the +ame rea+on. &here does &i'ipedia=+ . hild protection. policy come from- doe+ it help - a+ it+ name implie+ - protect (the +afety of) children- and i+ that even it+ goalA In J)ly 2008- a thread 3a+ created on &i'imedia=+ .&i'i2N-l. mailing li+t- 3ith the 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Child_protection 2 https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/10/22/175674/the-decline-of-wikipedia/ https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/17/technology/17wiki.html https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Free_Encyclopaedia_that_Anyone_can_Edit%EF%BC %9A_The_Shifting_Values_of_Wikipedia_Editors 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Userboxes 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:User_pages#Userboxes 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Userboxes/Life/Sexuality 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Userboxes/Health/Mental 7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Userboxes/Politics 8 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/User:UBX/gay&limit=500 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:Userbox_Gay&limit=500 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/User:Krako/Userboxes/User_gay&limit=500 9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Core_content_policies +)bject .?houldn=t 3e 'ic' paedophile+ off &i'ipediaA..10 The di+c)++ion i+ brief, and the +)ggestion i+ rejected. ?ome of the participant+= comment+1 .I don=t thin' 3e +hould throw anyone out for 3hat they *are*.. .People are allowed to be them+el,es- +o long a+ it doesn=t brea' a r)le.. .Anyone can ma'e a good 3i'ipedian a+ long a+ they abide by our policie+.. .Dany people +tate their bia+ on their )+er page, be it religiou+- political or more per+onal. Thi+ i+ +ometimes )+eful for other editor+ - it can help to 'now 3here +omeone i+ coming from.. <t=+ intere+ting to me that the di+c)++ion initiator +tate+1 .At the ,ery lea+t they are encouraging other+ to commit crimes (by arg)ing that paedophilia i+ perfectly acceptable).. Thi+ i+ +imilar to 3hat the $)tch C)blic Prosec)tion ?er,ice i+ c)rrently arg)ing- that +ome of my 3riting+ advocating the legaliEation of pedosex)ality may ha,e been +editiou+. In 20/%- the ?)preme ourt of the Netherlands banned pro-pedo a++ociation Dartijn for more or les+ the +ame rea+on. These expres+ion+ of mine may be an offen+e that i+ puni+hable by )p to 6,e year+ jail time. Apparently- <=m =pic'ing @)arrel+ and provoking trouble'.// *n 8 Febr)ary 2009- &i'ipedian Paroxy+m created )+erbox (template) .F+er pedophile.- 3ith the 3ording1 .Thi+ )+er identi6es a+ a pedophile.. He .thought it might be )+eful..12 There i+ no complete, publicly acces+ible revi+ion hi+tory for thi+ - now deleted - page, b)t evidence of it+ creation i+ +till a,ailable./3 The )+erbox 3a+ deleted and restored +everal times./% Later that day- the +ame )+erbox re-created by Paroxy+m )nder the name .F+er paedophile"- 3a+ al+o deleted and restored +everal times./8 D)ltiple &i'ipedia admini+trator+ rever+ed other admini+trator+= action+- a proces+ 'nown a+ .3heel 3arring../9 Thi+ partic)lar incident- 'nown a+ the .pedophilia )+erbox 3heel 3ar.-/: c)lminated 3hen &i'ipedia co-founder Jimmy &ales +tepped in 3ith hi+ (then) =)ltimate a)thority=./; &ales al+o 3rote: .I ha,e temporarily de+y+opped everyone 3ho in any 3ay 3a+ =3heel 3arring= tonight over the +t)pid trolling template../> And: .Thi+ i+ a rather hi+toric moment. I believe 3ith +ome degree of certainty that I ha,e never per+onally de+y+opped anyone..20 The res)lt of an 10 https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2005-July/thread.html#26093 https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2005-July/thread.html#26099 11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picking_quarrels_and_provoking_trouble 12 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators %27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=38362445 13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Pedophilia_userbox_wheel_war/Evidence 14 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:User_pedophile&action=history 15 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:User_paedophile&action=history 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators#Wheel_war 17 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Pedophilia_userbox_wheel_war 18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Log?type=&user=Jimbo+Wales&page=&wpdate=2006-02- 05&tagfilter=&wpfilters%5B%5D=patrol 19 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators %27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=38429973 20 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators %27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=38394059 ongoing debate of the propo+ed deletion of the controver+ial )+erbox 3a+ (therefore) .?peedy delete by F+er1Jimbo &ale+..21 That +ame day- &i'ipedian arbonite 3rote:22 .I plan on indefinitely bloc'ing any )+er 3ho incl)des thi+ template. [...I I can=t even imagine the CJ nightmare that the &i'imedia Foundation 3ould face if articles 3ere being 3ritten by +elf-identi6ed pedophiles.. In Darch 200:- &i'ipedian- and then member of the Arbitration ommittee,23 Fred !a)der +tate+ that matter+ regarding +elf-identi6ed pedophiles +hould be addres+ed by email.2% In $ecember 200:- a di+c)++ion about a pedophile )+erbox i+ closed 3ith the me++age: .()rther di+c)++ion of thi+ i++)e by pri,ate email to Arbcom only plea+e..28 Al+o in $ecember 200:- &ales 3rites a &i'ipedian that they .may not incl)de in your )+er +pace material that i+ li'ely to bring the project into di+repute".29 *n 28 April 20/0- an edit of the .Lolicon. article by &i'ipedian $espondent2-27 led to a di+c)++ion about &i'ipedia=+ policy regarding editor+ 3ho +elf-identify a+ pedophile+ and pro-pedo acti,i+m.2; *n 2: April 20/0- &i'ipedian DKDc!ride adds to the di+c)++ion that .if thi+ i+ the +tandard practice (and it appear+ to be), there'+ no need to be +o damn coy about it.- and create+ an es+ay article that 3ould event)ally become the . hild protection. policy.29 In the month+ that follow- the article'+ +tat)+ changes freq)ently- partic)larly bet3een .information page" and .policy.. In the period 2> J)ne 20/0 )ntil 2 J)ly 20/0- &i'ipedian Leorgewilliamherbert changes the protection level of the article +everal times- in an attempt to 'eep the policy +tat)+ in place.30 *nce again it+ +tat)+ changes- and &ale+ +tep+ in to re-add the policy tag on 8 J)ly 20/0.31 In 20/3- &i'ipedian Ali+on adds the phra+e .on or off-wi'i. after .3ho advocate inappropriate adult4child relation+hip+..32 &i'ipedian The $evil=+ Advocate removes the phra+e +everal time+- b)t their edit+ are reverted. The creation of the . hild protection. policy in 20/0 did not ta'e place in a ,ac))m. No, +irree, it certainly did not. 2arly April 20/0- the other &i'ipedia co-founder- Larry ?anger- reported &i'ipedia=+ parent organiEation &i'imedia Foundation to the (!<- 21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_deletion/Log/2006_February_5#Template:User_paedophile 22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Archive29#Blocking_self- identified_pedophiles 23 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration_Committee/History#Current_and_former_members 24 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests&diff=111890354&oldid=111887366 25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/ IncidentArchive344#Pro_pedophile_advocacy_userbox 26 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Mcrazychick&diff=178618986&oldid=17860080 27 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Despondent2 28 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/ IncidentArchive610#Pedophilia_advocacy_on_Lolicon 29 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Child_protection&oldid=358570794 30 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Child_protection&diff=370761799&oldid=370752210