Wikipedia Zero

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For predecessors and prototypes of Wikipedia, see History of Wikipedia.

Wikipedia Zero logo

Wikipedia Zero was a project by the Wikimedia Foundation to provide Wikipedia free of charge on mobile phones via zero-rating, particularly in developing markets.[1][2] The objective of the program was to increase access to free knowledge, in particular without data-usage cost. With 97 operators in over 72 countries, it is estimated that access to Wikipedia was provided to more than 800 million people through this program.[3] The Wikipedia Zero program ended in 2018.

The program was launched in 2012,[4] and won a 2013 South by Southwest Interactive Award for activism.[5] After having received criticism over the years for violating the principle of net neutrality,[6][7] in February 2018 the Wikimedia Foundation announced the end of the initiative, stating that it would take a new approach on partnerships.[8] Despite providing service to 800 million persons, the project was seen as jeopardized by a lack of growth, and by the declining price of cell phone data.[9]

Facebook Zero has been cited as an inspiration for Wikipedia Zero.[10]

History[edit]

Wikipedia Zero countries as of September 6, 2016

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

In February 2018, the Wikimedia Foundation announced that the Wikipedia Zero program would be completely phased out by the end of 2018.[8][26]

Reception and impact[edit]

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

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.[27][28] 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."[6] 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".[7] 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".[29]

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'."[30] In 2015, researchers evaluating how the similar program Facebook Zero shapes information and communications technology 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, and 61% of Indonesians agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet" compared with only 5% in the United States.[31]

An article in Vice magazine notes that the free access via Wikipedia Zero made Wikipedia a preferred way for its users in Bangladesh and elsewhere to share material published under conventional copyright. This caused problems at Wikipedia (where uploading media that is not free-licensed is forbidden). The Vice article is deeply critical of the Wikipedia Zero project, arguing that because "they can't afford access to YouTube and the rest of the internet, Wikipedia has become the internet for lots of Bangladeshis [and] a bunch of more-or-less random editors who happen to want to be the piracy police that dictate the means of access for an entire population of people."[32]

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. ^ Wadhwa, Kul Takanao (February 22, 2013). "Getting Wikipedia to the people who need it most". Knight Foundation. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Wikipedia Zero - Wikimedia Foundation". wikimediafoundation.org. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Sofge, Erik (March 8, 2013). "SXSW: Wikipedia for Non-Smartphones Is Brilliant. Here's Why". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Riese, Monica (March 12, 2013). "SXSW Interactive Awards Announced". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, Texas: Austin Chronicle Corp. ISSN 1074-0740. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Net Neutrality and the Global Digital Divide". Electronic Frontier Foundation. July 24, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Wikipedia Zero and net neutrality: Wikimedia turns its back on the open internet". accessnow.org. August 8, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Building for the future of Wikimedia with a new approach to partnerships – Wikimedia Blog". Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Tiwari, Aditya (February 19, 2018). "Free 'Wikipedia Zero' Is Shutting Down After Serving 800 Million Users". Fossbytes. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. ^ Dillon, Conon (December 18, 2013). "Wikipedia Zero: free data if you can afford it". Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "Wikipedia Zero launches in Malaysia with Digi — Wikimedia blog". Blog.wikimedia.org. May 26, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  12. ^ "Mobilink brings Wikipedia Zero to Pakistan". nation.com.pk. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  13. ^ "Mobilink brings Wikipedia Zero to Pakistan". Mobilink. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "Wikipedia FREE". Dialog. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  15. ^ "Tech Talk | Wikipedia Zero | A righteous initiative for accessing free knowledge". Archive.thedailystar.net. December 2, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "Banglalink launches Wikipedia Zero :: Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh". Thefinancialexpress-bd.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Kosovo's Largest Foreign Investment Sets Tone for Innovation". www.the-american-times.com. Hazlehurst Media SA. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  18. ^ "Wikipedia Zero arrives in Nepal via Ncell and you don't have to pay a Paisa to use it". Retrieved May 19, 2014.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Beeline открыл бесплатный доступ к Wikipedia для своих абонентов".
  20. ^ "Wikimedia Foundation partners with Airtel Nigeria to offer free Wikipedia access to subscribers — TechCabal". May 29, 2014.
  21. ^ "Абоненти "Київстар" можуть користуватися Wikipedia з нульовим балансом на рахунку". Kyivstar. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  22. ^ "MTN Ghana empowers customers with free access to Wikipedia". myjoyonline.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  23. ^ "MTN Ghana empowers customers with free access to Wikipedia". myjoyonline.com. Ghana News Agency. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  24. ^ "Djezzy lance l'accès gratuit a Wikipedia".
  25. ^ "Asiacell to offer free access to Wikipedia in Iraq". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  26. ^ Fingas, Jon (February 18, 2018). "Wikipedia ends no-cost mobile access for developing countries". Engadget. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  27. ^ Mirani, Leo (May 30, 2014). "Less than zero – When net neutrality backfires: Chile just killed free access to Wikipedia and Facebook". Quartz. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  28. ^ McKenzie, Jessica (June 2, 2014). "Face Off in Chile: Net Neutrality v. Human Right to Facebook & Wikipedia". Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  29. ^ "Wikipedia's 'complicated' relationship with net neutrality". Washington Post.
  30. ^ Hilary Heuler. "Who really wins from Facebook's 'free internet' plan for Africa?". ZDNet.
  31. ^ Leo Mirani (February 9, 2015). "Millions of Facebook users have no idea they're using the internet".
  32. ^ Koebler, Jason (March 27, 2016). "Wikipedia's Piracy Police Are Ruining the Developing World's Internet Experience". Motherboard. Vice Media. Retrieved June 10, 2017.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_Zero&oldid=940769490"