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;On a Bill of Rights for the world wide web
;IPv6 enabled on Wikimedia UK’s websites


[[File:First_Web_Server.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The first ever web server]]
[[File:World IPv6 launch badge.svg|right|thumb|200px|The logo used to launch IPv6]]


Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the founding of the world wide web. The [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26540635 BBC reported] that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee Sir Tim Berners-Lee] has used this landmark to call for a bill of rights for the world wide web.
''This post was written by Tom Morton, Wikimedia UK developer''


Wikimedia UK is in favour of this idea. In 25 short years the web has become so inextricably intertwined in our lives that it can no longer be seen as a separate entity. It is a global network which belongs to everyone.
Wikimedia UK’s main websites are now available over IPv6. For most of our visitors this won’t have any effect, as this is still new technology. However, it is a big step toward future proofing our infrastructure for the years to come.


In his interview Sir Tim draws a comparison between human rights and the need to protect the rights of web users. The world wide web is where many people live a significant part of their lives. It’s where we communicate with each other, where we express ourselves creatively, where we learn and teach, where we shop. Our vision is “[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_knowledge open knowledge] for all”, and fundamental to that vision is the removal of barriers to accessing, and contributing to, the sum of human knowledge.
The internet relies on Internet Protocol (or IP) addresses to function – whenever you type a website into the browser address bar it is translated, silently, into a unique IP address for the server hosting the site. Currently, most of the internet use Internet Protocol Version 4. You may have seen an IPv4 address before, it looks like a long string of numbers. For example the IP address of the web server hosting this blog is 37.188.117.184.


Wikipedia has worked hard to remain independent and free on a web increasingly dominated by commercial interests. In 2011 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA Wikipedia went dark for a day] in protest against the proposed SOPA / PIPA laws. In 2013 there were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_surveillance_disclosure large scale revelations] of web surveillance by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nsa NSA] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gchq GCHQ]. In 2014 we need to remain vigilant. Once freedoms are lost they are very difficult to regain. Web users should continue to fight for their online freedoms and protect those freedoms from those who would take them away. A Bill of Web Rights, created by web users and endorsed by governments and international bodies such as the United Nations, would be an excellent start.
But in recent years there has been a growing problem! There are only a finite amount of IPv4 addresses – around 4.3 billion of them. That might sound a lot, but then the internet is an increasingly large place, and if *everyone* and *every server* needs a unique address then they can quickly disappear. This, and other problems with the protocol, meant that a replacement was needed.


<span class="plainlinks">[https://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2014/03/on-a-bill-of-rights-for-the-world-wide-web/<nowiki>[</nowiki>...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>
So to fix the impending disaster, Internet Protocol version 6 was developed (please don’t ask what happened to version 5!). This increased the available addresses to, well, bazillions.
 
<span class="plainlinks">[https://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2014/03/ipv6-enabled-on-wikimedia-uks-websites/<nowiki>[</nowiki>Post continues...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>


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Revision as of 10:42, 13 March 2014

Cymraeg | English

Wikimedia UK

Open knowledge for all

Our website

If you'd like to see what Wikimedia UK is working on, our website is the best place for our community of volunteers, donors and members to stay up to date.

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.

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Contact us

General inquiries: infoatwikimedia.org.uk
Media: pressatwikimedia.org.uk

You can follow us on Twitter (@wikimediauk) or Like us on Facebook (WikimediaUK).

You can also sign up to the email discussion list for the Wikimedia community in the UK.

More contact details

Get Involved

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Join Wikimedia UK

Members play a key role in shaping the future of the Chapter. Membership is open to all and costs just £5 a year.

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Events

We organise dozens of events each year, including meetups, editing events, "Backstage Pass" events at museums, workshops and conferences.

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Volunteer

Participate in one of our ongoing outreach projects, working with the cultural and education institutions of the UK.

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Request a project grant to help you with your editing or outreach activities on any Wikimedia project.

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Donate to Wikimedia UK to keep Wikipedia running free from advertising and support our work getting more people and institutions working with Wikipedia and its sister projects.

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 get in touch on volunteeringatwikimedia.org.uk

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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