Wikipedia Criticises 'Harsh' New Online Safety Bill Plans

Wikipedia should be treated differently to the big social media firms in the Online Safety Bill, a leading member of its foundation says. From a report: The encyclopaedia is written and edited entirely by thousands of volunteers around the world. The Wikimedia Foundation's Rebecca MacKinnon also says a proposed change to the bill,would 'limit freedom of expression'.


The bill aims to protect people from harmful content online. The Wikimedia Foundation is the not-for-profit organisation which hosts the encyclopaedia. Ms MacKinnon says the foundation is concerned about the effect of the bill on volunteer-run sites. She told the BBC that the threat of 'harsh' new criminal penalties for tech bosses 'will affect not only big corporations, but also public interest websites such as Wikipedia'.

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