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Latest News Why Wikipedia was blacked out for a day - Over the last few weeks, the Wikipedia community has been discussing proposed actions that the community might take with relation to proposed legislation in the United States called Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House of Representatives, and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. If passed, these would seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia. With more than 2,000 Wikipedians commenting on this legislation from all over the world, and a clear majority in favour of taking action, this was the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature, and it’s a decision that wasn’t lightly made. It was felt that both SOPA and PIPA are pieces of clumsily drafted legislation that are dangerous for the internet and freedom of speech. It provides powers to regulatory authorities to force internet companies to block foreign sites offering ‘pirated’ material that violates U.S. copyright laws. If implemented, ad networks could be required to stop online ads and search engines would be barred from directly linking to websites ‘found’ to be in breach of copyright. Read the full article on blog.wikimedia.org.uk About Wikimedia UK The Wikimedia projects are special: they are written and curated by thousands of volunteers. They are also supported by voluntary donations, through Wikimedia UK, the Wikimedia Foundation and other international chapters. Wikimedia UK is a charity registered in England and Wales that supports and promotes Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons. Our mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all. We do this by supporting volunteer editors and contributors ('Wikimedians'), by working in partnership with cultural and educational institutions, by hosting training sessions and editing events, and by acting to advocate the benefits of open knowledge generally. There are several ways to get involved in the charity's work. You can become a member for just £5 per year. You can volunteer to work with us in a variety of ways, both online and offline. You can also make a donation (and if you're a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid). Subscribe to our Friends' Newsletter to stay in touch. Click the buttons below to learn more. Volunteer Donate Join us Contact Us General inquiries: infowikimedia.org.uk Media: presswikimedia.org.uk You can also join our email discussion list and follow us on Twitter: @wikimediauk More contact details

Upcoming events January 18 - Mobile Public Sector QRpedia, London 20 - Wikimedia and QR training for museums, Nuneaton 23 - Wikimedia and QR training for museums, Nuneaton 24 - Board meeting More events Get Involved It's easy to get involved with Wikimedia UK. Join Wikimedia UK: Membership is open to all and costs just £5 a year. While most members are editors of one (or more!) of the Wikimedia projects, you don't need to be. Members play a key role in shaping the future of the Chapter, by electing the Board and deciding our strategy at the AGM. Events: We organise dozens of events each year, including meetups, Editathons, "Backstage Pass" events, workshops and conferences. Almost all our events are free of charge and open to the public - why not come along and join in? We are always interested to hear from new volunteers. If you have an idea you'd like to help make happen, or time and skills you would like to offer Wikimedia UK, please email any member of the Board. What's more, microgrants are also available to help support community initiatives.

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Для української мови Вікіпедії ласка, відвідайте http://uk.wikipedia.org; для Вікімедіа Україна відвідайте http://ua.wikimedia.org
For the Ukrainian language Wikipedia please visit http://uk.wikipedia.org; for Wikimedia Ukraine please visit http://ua.wikimedia.org

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