What's the worst-case scenario for us to be concerned about, if these are upheld?
On Mon, Feb 26, 2024 at 1:12 PM Franziska Putz <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear all, > > I’m Ziski from the Global Advocacy team. I’d like to draw your attention > to important hearings happening this week at the United States Supreme > Court. > > The hearings on two cases that will be crucial for Wikimedia have just > started: NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton and Moody v. NetChoice, LLC. Both cases > are challenges to state laws in Texas and Florida, which impact content > moderation on social media websites. You may recall that back in December, > the Foundation issued a "friend of the court > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amicus_curiae>" brief urging the Justices > to strike down these laws, explaining that they pose a serious threat to > projects like Wikipedia. You can read about our position on Diff, in our > <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/12/07/texas-and-florida-laws-are-unconstitutional-and-threaten-volunteer-editors-right-to-edit-wikipedia/>press > release > <https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/12/07/wikimedia-foundation-calls-on-us-supreme-court-to-strike-laws-that-threaten-wikipedia/>, > and in the > <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/12/07/texas-and-florida-laws-are-unconstitutional-and-threaten-volunteer-editors-right-to-edit-wikipedia/> > brief > <https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-555/292649/20231207143139081_22-277%2022-555%20ac%20Wikimedia%20Foundation.pdf> > itself. > <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/12/07/texas-and-florida-laws-are-unconstitutional-and-threaten-volunteer-editors-right-to-edit-wikipedia/> > > > The US Supreme Court is hearing the cases now, and we are there in person > talking to stakeholders and observing the proceedings. We expect the Court > to rule this year and will be providing updates as we know more. > > The problem: As they are written, these laws prohibit website operators > from banning users or removing speech and would generally risk Wikipedia’s > volunteer-led systems of content moderation. That’s because these laws were > designed to prevent social media platforms from engaging in politically > motivated content moderation, but were drafted so broadly that they would > also impact Wikipedia. The case is also important beyond the impact it > might have on our projects. It represents a scenario that is part of a > trend globally, where governments introduce legislation to address harms > from big tech actors, yet Wikimedia ends up as the dolphin inadvertently > caught in the net. This is one reason that WMF is working alongside > affiliates to raise awareness about how Wikimedia’s model of community-led > content governance works and why it is important to protect. > > What to watch for: We will be monitoring these developments closely in > the United States, with an eye to possible ripple effects in other > countries. > > We will provide updates on how the Court rules later this year. In the > meantime, please reach out with any questions or comments and look at the > resources > we’re compiling on how to explain the Wikimedia model > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_Advocacy/Resources> to > policymakers. > > All the best, > > Ziski > > Franziska Putz (she/her) > > Senior Movement Advocacy Manager > > Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation > > [email protected] > > UTC Timezone > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/U57W4G4CPENFOXQVIQDKPZ47OUEYZ5CH/ > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] -- Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266
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