Persian Wikipedia

[tarantino]

From Jimmy's twitter feed:

@SinaZekavat
Oct 1
@jimmy_wales
is ignoring my evidenced questions about the open cooperation between Persian @Wikipedia
"senior managers" team and the Iran state, a state that is ranked 170th in press freedom by @RSF_inter
, uses torture, forced confessions, imprisonment to censor journalists.

@jimmy_wales
Oct 1
I am not ignoring you. I'm seeking further information before making any sort of comment. This is too important for me to speak before I have full knowledge!

(I'm not Trump on twitter - I try not to spout off without understanding!)

@SinaZekavat
Oct 1
Yes this is important for the entire dissident community struggling for basic rights in Iran. Will there be a publicly accessible report or investigation on this? Transparency will be appreciated.

@jimmy_wales
Oct 1
I don't know yet. Transparency is important - solving whatever problems may exist is even more important.

You use terminology like "senior managers" that don't really have meaning in our context, so this makes it harder for me to follow your claims.

@SinaZekavat
Oct 1
These are terms used by Persian Wikipedia representatives who invited you to their 2016 conference in Tehran. They use these terms to gain legitimacy in front of public in Iran. I didn't come up with the terms.

@jimmy_wales
Replying to
@SinaZekavat
@Wikipedia
and
@RSF_inter
Can you follow me so I can DM?
5:27 AM · Oct 1, 2019·Twitter Web App

@SinaZekavat
Oct 1
Replying to
@jimmy_wales
@Wikipedia
and
@RSF_inter
Yes I will. Just sharing this with you: screenshot of the official state report about their public event held at Iran Ministry of Culture. The highlighted section says "Mohsen Salek, Persian Wikipedia's Senior Manager and Bureaucrat"
https://rasaneh.farhang.gov.ir/fa/newsa ... 8%B4%D8%AF
Link to image

Mohsen Salek is foundation steward Mardetanha.

[Poetlister]

@jimmy_wales
Oct 1
I don't know yet. Transparency is important - solving whatever problems may exist is even more important.

You use terminology like "senior managers" that don't really have meaning in our context, so this makes it harder for me to follow your claims.

That's rather disingenuous, isn't it? It must mean Arbcom if they have one, or checkusers and bureaucrats.

[tarantino]

There's a follow up on this story, from Zamaneh Media.

The Curious Case of Persian Wikipedia: is the Iranian State Influencing Content?

Samantha Lien, Communications Manager of the Wikimedia Foundation, told Zamaneh that Wikimedia had reviewed the claims in the Open Democracy article:

“We reviewed the claims in the article with Farsi-speaking volunteers in the Wikipedia editing community and found a number of the claims to be unsubstantiated.”

She did not mention which claims were unsubstantiated or which ones might have a basis.

[Poetlister]

There's a follow up on this story, from Zamaneh Media.

The Curious Case of Persian Wikipedia: is the Iranian State Influencing Content?

Samantha Lien, Communications Manager of the Wikimedia Foundation, told Zamaneh that Wikimedia had reviewed the claims in the Open Democracy article:

“We reviewed the claims in the article with Farsi-speaking volunteers in the Wikipedia editing community and found a number of the claims to be unsubstantiated.”

She did not mention which claims were unsubstantiated or which ones might have a basis.

Or even what "a number" means. A small minority or a majority? Probably not the latter or the article would have said so.

[Zoloft]

There's a follow up on this story, from Zamaneh Media.

The Curious Case of Persian Wikipedia: is the Iranian State Influencing Content?

Samantha Lien, Communications Manager of the Wikimedia Foundation, told Zamaneh that Wikimedia had reviewed the claims in the Open Democracy article:

“We reviewed the claims in the article with Farsi-speaking volunteers in the Wikipedia editing community and found a number of the claims to be unsubstantiated.”

She did not mention which claims were unsubstantiated or which ones might have a basis.

Or even what "a number" means. A small minority or a majority? Probably not the latter or the article would have said so.

Zero is also a number.

[Poetlister]

Zero is also a number.

I thought that, but if she meant that every single one was substantiated that would be an extremely misleading thing to say.

[Zoloft]

Zero is also a number.

I thought that, but if she meant that every single one was substantiated that would be an extremely misleading thing to say.

Remember what organization we’re dealing with:
Samantha Lien, Communications Manager of the Wikimedia Foundation

[Dysklyver]

It appears to me that all the claims are accurate so clearly Wikimedia is trying to ignore it again.

There are at least three other small Wikipedia projects under effective government control, two more under control of the far-right, others spreading mis-information, and that's even before looking at the feudalism of things like Wikinews and Wikiquote.

[Poetlister]

It appears to me that all the claims are accurate so clearly Wikimedia is trying to ignore it again.

There are at least three other small Wikipedia projects under effective government control, two more under control of the far-right, others spreading mis-information, and that's even before looking at the feudalism of things like Wikinews and Wikiquote.

Every WP site I know much about spreads misinformation. Of course, on the large sites it's a relatively small problem, but conversely these sites reach a lot of people.

[tarantino]

Yes I will. Just sharing this with you: screenshot of the official state report about their public event held at Iran Ministry of Culture. The highlighted section says "Mohsen Salek, Persian Wikipedia's Senior Manager and Bureaucrat"
https://rasaneh.farhang.gov.ir/fa/newsa ... 8%B4%D8%AF
Link to image

Mohsen Salek is foundation steward Mardetanha.

The Iran Ministry of Culture and Guidance is responsible for "the legal framework within which the Iranian state limits freedom of expression and imposes censorship."

"Restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran are both broad and arbitrary. In addition, changes in the political climate influence what may be acceptable in the political and cultural arenas. Isa Saharkhiz, a journalist and a former official with Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, likened working as a journalist in Iran to walking on a minefield, knowing that a wrong step may harm your career or possibly land you in prison."

According to his Linkedin profile, Mohsen Salek works for ADRION, a computer & network security firm in Tehran. As a steward, he has access to information on virtually every user who edits a wikimedia wiki. If he's compromised, and I think most logical people would assume he is, this would be a very big deal.

Edir to add: He's had his steward right removed three times, with no public reason given.

08:29, 24 March 2010 Millosh talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from steward to (none) (per discussion with oscar)
23:12, 5 May 2010 Jyothis talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from Global_sysops, steward to Global_sysops (removing again)
09:34, 12 July 2011 Millosh talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from steward to (none)

[Poetlister]

Edir to add: He's had his steward right removed three times, with no public reason given.

08:29, 24 March 2010 Millosh talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from steward to (none) (per discussion with oscar)
23:12, 5 May 2010 Jyothis talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from Global_sysops, steward to Global_sysops (removing again)
09:34, 12 July 2011 Millosh talk contribs changed global group membership for User:Mardetanha from steward to (none)

The third one was immediately followed by making him a global sysop, and he was made a steward again on 27 September 2011 with the note "welcome back! " On 20 November 2014 he was added to OTRS global group.

[DanMurphy]

Bumping. As pointed out elsewhere Mohsen Salek was banned by the WMF yesterday.