Submissions/Blocking of Wikipedia/Knockoff Wikipedias

This is an accepted submission for Wikimania 2012.

Submission no.

21

Title of the submission: Blocking of the Uzbek Wikipedia in Uzbekistan

Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, panel, presentation): presentation

Author of the submission: Nataev

E-mail address: ataevnodir@gmail.com

Username: Nataev

Country of origin: Kyrgyzstan

Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.): Central European University

Personal homepage or blog: Personal Page (In Uzbek)

Abstract (at least 300 words to describe your proposal): At the moment the Uzbek Wikipedia is blocked in the territory of Uzbekistan. Many believe the reason for the blockage is that the abusive Uzbek government is concerned about the appearance of articles critical of its actions. I would like to call the attention of the community to this issue and discuss ways of fighting for freedom of information in countries with repressive governments. I would also like to discuss ways of developing content in different versions of Wikipedia, especially in the Uzbek Wikipedia. There are only a little over 20,000 articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia at the moment and the existing articles are very poorly sourced. (By the way, I recently wrote an entry in the English Wikipedia about the Uzbek Wikipedia.) For a country that has almost 9 million Internet users this number is extremely low. Another problem with the Uzbek Wikipedia is that it lacks articles on science and contemporary political life. The majority of the articles are about entertainment and sports. Therefore, I would like to get insights from the community about how to encourage people in Central Asia to contribute to Wikimedia projects. Lately I have been working hard to help expand, cleanup, better organize, and neutralize the point of view on articles related to Central Asia in the English Wikipedia. I have also been contributing to the Uzbek Wikipedia. However, many more people need to get involved if the Uzbek Wikipedia is to develop and grow. I am sure that as a person with insider knowledge I can contribute greatly to the Wikimania conference about the state of affairs in the Wikipedias of Central Asian nations. Participating in the conference would also give me invaluable insights about further improving the underdeveloped versions of Wikipedia.

Track (Wikis and the Public Sector; GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums); WikiCulture and Community; Research, Analysis, and Education; Technology and Infrastructure): WikiCulture and Community

Length of presentation/talk (if other than 25 minutes, specify how long): 25 Minutes

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: Yes.

Slides or further information (optional): To be uploaded.

Special request as to time of presentations (for example - can not present on Saturday): None.

Interested attendees

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CT Cooper · talk 00:26, 26 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm very interested in these topics Akmalzhon (talk) 13:50, 26 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Wikitafa (talk) 18:47, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Amir E. Aharoni (talk)
Fuzheado (talk) 07:47, 19 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
SarahStierch (talk) 16:51, 21 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Airwolf (talk) 23:48, 30 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Deryck Chan (talk) 14:07, 20 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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