Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Chico Venancio]

Segue uma tradução da declaração original e de minha resposta:

*Declaração do Geoff Brigham:*

Quero agradecer a comunidade da Wikipédia em português no Brasil por seu
trabalho árduo como wikimedianos e especialmente pela dedicação e paixão
pela livre distribuição de informações verídicas. Como outros projetos, a
Wikipédia em português representa uma incrível colaboração e construção de
uma enciclopédia que sobreviverá por muitas eras. Vocês compartilham a
honra de construir algo grande pelo benefício de outros.

Apesar de não ser um wikimediano lusófono, se me permitem dizer, estou um
pouco preocupado com a situação no Brasil na Wikipédia em português
aumentando de tamanho. Posso, por favor, sugerir que considerem calma e
moderação em decidir como a comunidade responderá a essa situação.

Na Fundação não temos tolerância por censura de informações verídicas.
Devido a regras éticas legais que se aplicam aos Estados Unidos,
entretanto, meu time legal pode representar somente a Fundação, excluindo
membros da comunidade infelizmente. Ainda assim, com uma clara percepção
que não somos advogados desses membros, constantemente ajudamos a eles com
a nossa extensa experiência global quando os membros se deparam com ameaças
sérias injustificadas. Ao fazê-lo, é claro, contamos com a comunidade para
seguir a suas próprias políticas, como PDI [NPOV], e para tomar as medidas
necessárias para garantir que as contribuições são verdadeiras, legais e
não infringentes. Como colocado em nossas condições de uso [terms of use],
a WMF não controla ou influência o conteúdo contribuídos por membros da
comunidade.

No caso da investigação que envolveu um dos membros da comunidade, tememos
que houve um mal-entendido dado que estamos genuinamente surpreendidos com
os sumários que foram providos a nós. Apesar de que podemos estar
enganados, acreditamos que a WMF agiu bem apropriadamente nesse caso com um
foco próximo à questão. Apesar de que prefiro não entrar em muitos detalhes
dado a continuidade da situação, como eu compreendo, o Wikimediano nos
abordou quando recebeu um aparente pedido para se apresentar para
depoimento como parte de uma investigação. A esse ponto, a nosso custo, uma
de minhas advogadas com mais alto gabarito na WMF contatou advogados
brasileiros para buscar uma compreensão maior sobre os riscos. Esses
advogados nos aconselharam sobre o caso em detalhes, sugerindo que, sob as
circunstâncias, o risco deveria ser relativamente baixo se certas coisas
(como nós havíamos as compreendido) de fato fossem verdade. Aparentemente o
Wikimediano concordou. Nós, de qualquer forma, avisamos que o Wikimediano
deveria comparecer a qualquer encontro com policiais acompanhado de
advogado para garantir que seus direitos estariam adequadamente protegidos
de pedidos injustificados.

Nesse momento, houve inquisições preliminares sobre se a fundação pagaria
por advogados. Sobe o "Legal Fees Assistance Program" e pela "Defense of
Contributors policy", alguns critérios precisam ser passados normalmente.
Um desses critérios é que o usuário deve geralmente ser citado como réu em
uma ação legal, o que não era o caso aqui. De qualquer forma estivemos em
próximo contato com o Wikimediano da forma que vimos. Se a investigação
tivesse escalado, teríamos reavaliado a necessidade de ajuda adicional.

Em uma mensagem posterior, compreendemos que o Wikimediano havia conseguido
um advogado e que os dois foram a uma reunião produtiva com a
investigadora. Também pedimos aos nossos advogados no Brasil que revisassem
alguns documentos da investigação, quando confirmaram as nossas avaliações.

Houve um pedido para que funcionários da WMF fossem entrevistados sobre as
políticas aplicáveis à Wikipédia em Português. Como regra, nós não estamos
familiarizados com as políticas aplicáveis à Wikipédia em Português.
Sugerimos que a comunidade lusófona participasse nessa condição.

Estávamos observando a situação de perto e dando ajuda aonde podíamos.
Preocupamos-nos profundamente com a nossa comunidade, e, em casos de
alegações sérias injustificadas, tentamos ajudar a comunidade. De fato,
esses casos não são incomuns. Experientes em casos internacionais, estamos
constantemente envolvidos em refutar alegações injustificadas por todo o
mundo, e, se me permitem dizer, com frequência temos êxito.

Novamente, acredito que a comunidade não deveria agravar a situação para
evitar mal-entendidos ou más impressões que podem injustamente expor
membros da comunidade a ameaças legais sem fundamento. Por esse motivo,
reitero a minha recomendação de considerarem calma e moderação ao avaliar e
responder à situação.

Obrigado pela preocupação genuína sobre a liberdade de expressão e por sua
indignação contra censura injusta. Obrigado por coletar e desenvolver
conteúdo educacional sob uma licença livre ou sob domínio público para o
benefício do mundo.

Cordiais cumprimentos,

Geoffbrigham [Tradução por Chico
Venancio
 
(d

Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Chico Venancio]

I am entirely unsure on how to respond to this, but I'll give it a try.
First, I'd like to state clearly that while WMF legal department did ask to
be kept informed no assistance was given to me beyond a simple, "it is
probably in your best interest to take legal counsel with you when you are
questioned".

The feeling I got from the responses received was that it was entirely my
responsibility to procure adequate counsel. A feeling that was only
heightened by not only the refusal to ask WMF employees to speak about
Wikipedia's very basic rules but also by the request to stop copying a few
friends that are also WMF employees on the emails.

In fact I was told on no uncertain terms that due to the case taking place
in Brazil WMF and its employees could not "directly participate in the
process". Leaving a seemly empty promise to "work behind the scenes to
support" me. My response to these statements remained unanswered, all of
witch contributed to my statement that I did contact WMF's legal department
and got no assistance from it.

Furthermore, I do not even see in you statement, Mr. Brigham, anything that
would speak to the contrary. What I do see are justifications on why the
correct procedure is to not give a person in my situation any assistance,
primarily due to me not being (yet) cited as a defendant on a legal action.

Of course, WMF is not answerable criminally to this situation as I am; and
the license is very clear in trying to remove all civil liability from the
foundation as well. I did however, expect a higher standard from WMF and I
was undoubtedly disappointed by the lack of assistance.

If my view of the situation is mistaken and WMF in fact intends on
assisting me in this case I offer my deepest apologies for the
misunderstanding.

With warm regards,

Chico Venancio  (
discussão)
22h01min de 2 de dezembro de 2012 (UTC)

ps: Pretendo traduzir a colocação original e minha resposta em breve (se
ninguém o fizer antes).

2012/12/1 Béria Lima 

> que o programa de ajuda legal não se aplica ainda pq o chico ainda n




-- 
Chico Venancio
@chicocvenancio 
http://www.chicocvenancio.com
___
WikimediaBR-l mailing list
WikimediaBR-l@lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediabr-l

Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Béria Lima]

Basicamente ele diz que  a WMF tava ajudando o Chico desde o começo (o que
é verdade e eu posso comprovar pq eu mesmo que pus o chico em contacto com
eles a mais de um mês), que o programa de ajuda legal não se aplica ainda
pq o chico ainda não está sendo acusado formalmente de nada, que eles
contactaram os especialistas em leis brasileiras e eles dizeram que não era
pra se preocupar pq pela analise da situação o Gilmar não tem como criar um
processo em cima dos fatos. E que eles continuam a monitorar a situação e
queriam que a comunidade permanecesse unida e nao criasse uma cruzada
contra a fundação.
_
*Béria Lima*

*Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter
livre acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a
construir esse sonho. <http://wikimedia.pt/Donativos>*


On 1 December 2012 13:24, Gabriela Cortês
wrote:

> Obrigada Beria. Não entendi o que ele disse. Obrigada se alguém puder
> explicar.
>
> Gabi
>
>--
> *De:* Béria Lima 
> *Para:* Gabriela Cortês ; Lista de
> emails da Wikimedia Brasil. 
> *Enviadas:* Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 14:19
> *Assunto:* Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
>
> O pessoal tava reclamando que a WMF não tava ajudando o Chico (que tava a
> ser investigado pela PF a pedido do Gilmar Mendes)
>
>  Essa ai é a resposta do advogado da WMF
> _
> *Béria Lima*
>
> *Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter
> livre acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a
> construir esse sonho. <http://wikimedia.pt/Donativos>*
>
>
> On 1 December 2012 13:09, Gabriela Cortês  > wrote:
>
> ?
>
>   --
> *De:* Ricardo Navalha 
> *Para:* wikimediabr-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> *Enviadas:* Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 12:42
> *Assunto:* [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
>
> I want to thank the Portuguese Wikipedia community in Brazil for their
> hard work as Wikimedians and especially their dedication to and passion for
> the free distribution of truthful information. Like other projects,
> Portuguese Wikipedia represents an amazing collaboration and building of an
> encyclopedia that will survive for many ages. You share in the honor of
> constructing something great for the benefit of others.
> Although I am not a Portuguese Wikimedian, if I may say so, I am a bit
> concerned about seeing the situation in Brazil on Portuguese Wikipedia
> somewhat escalating. May I please suggest consideration of calm and
> restraint in deciding how the community responds to the situation.
> At the Foundation, we have no tolerance for censorship of truthful
> information. Because of legal ethical rules that apply in the United
> States, however, my legal team may represent only the Foundation, not
> community members unfortunately. Nevertheless, with a clear understanding
> that we are not the lawyers for those members, we often help support them
> with our extensive global experience when the members are faced with
> serious unjustified threats. In doing so, of course, we rely on the
> community to follow its own policies, such as NPOV, and to take the
> necessary steps to ensure that contributions are factual, legal, and
> non-infringing. As set out in our terms of 
> use<http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use> ,
> WMF does not control or influence the content contributed by community
> members.
> In the case of the investigation that has involved one of the members of
> the community, we fear there is a misunderstanding since we are genuinely
> surprised by the summaries that have been provided to us. Although we may
> be mistaken, we actually thought WMF acted quite appropriately in this case
> with a close focus on the issue. Although I prefer not to go into too much
> detail given the ongoing matter, as I understand, the Wikimedian approached
> us when he received an apparent request to appear for questioning as part
> of an investigation. At that time, at our expense, one of my most senior
> attorneys at WMF contacted legal counsel in Brazil to seek a better
> understanding of the risks. Legal counsel advised us about the case in
> detail, suggesting that, under the circumstances, the risk should be
> relatively low if certain things (as we understood them) were in fact so.
> It appeared to us that the Wikimedian agreed. We nevertheless cautioned
> that the Wikimedian attend any meeting with police officials with legal
> representation to ensure his rights were adequately protected against
> unjustified claims.
> At that time, there were preliminary inquiries as to whether the
> Foundation would pay for legal counsel. Under the Legal Fees Assistance
&

Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Gabriela Cortês]

Obrigada Beria. Não entendi o que ele disse. Obrigada se alguém puder explicar.

Gabi



 De: Béria Lima 
Para: Gabriela Cortês ; Lista de emails da 
Wikimedia Brasil.  
Enviadas: Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 14:19
Assunto: Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
 

O pessoal tava reclamando que a WMF não tava ajudando o Chico (que tava a ser 
investigado pela PF a pedido do Gilmar Mendes)

Essa ai é a resposta do advogado da WMF
_
Béria Lima

Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter livre 
acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a construir esse 
sonho.



On 1 December 2012 13:09, Gabriela Cortês  
wrote:

?
>
>
>
>
> De: Ricardo Navalha 
>Para: wikimediabr-l@lists.wikimedia.org 
>Enviadas: Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 12:42
>Assunto: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
> 
>
>
>I want to thank the Portuguese Wikipedia community in Brazil for their hard 
>work as Wikimedians and especially their dedication to and passion for the 
>free distribution of truthful information. Like other projects, Portuguese 
>Wikipedia represents an amazing collaboration and building of an encyclopedia 
>that will survive for many ages. You share in the honor of constructing 
>something great for the benefit of others.
>Although I am not a Portuguese Wikimedian, if I may say so, I am a bit 
>concerned about seeing the situation in Brazil on Portuguese Wikipedia 
>somewhat escalating. May I please suggest consideration of calm and restraint 
>in deciding how the community responds to the situation.
>At the Foundation, we have no tolerance for censorship of truthful 
>information. Because of legal ethical rules that apply in the United States, 
>however, my legal team may represent only the Foundation, not community 
>members unfortunately. Nevertheless, with a clear understanding that we are 
>not the lawyers for those members, we often help support them with our 
>extensive global experience when the members are faced with serious 
>unjustified threats. In doing so, of course, we rely on the community to 
>follow its own policies, such as NPOV, and to take the necessary steps to 
>ensure that contributions are factual, legal, and non-infringing. As set out 
>in our terms of use , WMF does not control or influence the content 
>contributed by community members.
>In the case of the investigation that has involved one of the members of the 
>community, we fear there is a misunderstanding since we are genuinely 
>surprised by the summaries that have been provided to us. Although we may be 
>mistaken, we actually thought WMF acted quite appropriately in this case with 
>a close focus on the issue. Although I prefer not to go into too much detail 
>given the ongoing matter, as I understand, the Wikimedian approached us when 
>he received an apparent request to appear for questioning as part of an 
>investigation. At that time, at our expense, one of my most senior attorneys 
>at WMF contacted legal counsel in Brazil to seek a better understanding of the 
>risks. Legal counsel advised us about the case in detail, suggesting that, 
>under the circumstances, the risk should be relatively low if certain things 
>(as we understood them) were in fact so. It appeared to us that the Wikimedian 
>agreed. We nevertheless cautioned that the
 Wikimedian attend any meeting with police officials with legal representation 
to ensure his rights were adequately protected against unjustified claims.
>At that time, there were preliminary inquiries as to whether the Foundation 
>would pay for legal counsel. Under the Legal Fees Assistance Program and 
>the Defense of Contributors policy, certain threshold criteria must normally 
>be met. One such criterion is that the user must usually be named as a 
>defendant in a legal action, which was not so here. We nevertheless were in 
>close contact with the Wikimedian as we saw it. If the investigation had 
>escalated, we would have reassessed the need for additional support.
>In a later update, we understood that the Wikimedian had obtained legal 
>counsel and that the two attended a productive meeting with the investigator. 
>We also had our Brazilian legal counsel review certain investigation 
>documents, which confirmed our assessment.
>There was a request that WMF staff members be interviewed on the community 
>policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. As a general matter, we are not 
>familiar with the policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. We suggested 
>that the Portuguese community play a role in this regard.
>We were watching the situation closely and providing guidance where we were 
>able. We care deeply about our community, and, in cases of seriou

Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Béria Lima]

O pessoal tava reclamando que a WMF não tava ajudando o Chico (que tava a
ser investigado pela PF a pedido do Gilmar Mendes)

Essa ai é a resposta do advogado da WMF
_
*Béria Lima*

*Imagine um mundo onde é dada a qualquer pessoa a possibilidade de ter
livre acesso ao somatório de todo o conhecimento humano. Ajude-nos a
construir esse sonho. <http://wikimedia.pt/Donativos>*


On 1 December 2012 13:09, Gabriela Cortês
wrote:

> ?
>
>   --
> *De:* Ricardo Navalha 
> *Para:* wikimediabr-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> *Enviadas:* Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 12:42
> *Assunto:* [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
>
> I want to thank the Portuguese Wikipedia community in Brazil for their
> hard work as Wikimedians and especially their dedication to and passion for
> the free distribution of truthful information. Like other projects,
> Portuguese Wikipedia represents an amazing collaboration and building of an
> encyclopedia that will survive for many ages. You share in the honor of
> constructing something great for the benefit of others.
> Although I am not a Portuguese Wikimedian, if I may say so, I am a bit
> concerned about seeing the situation in Brazil on Portuguese Wikipedia
> somewhat escalating. May I please suggest consideration of calm and
> restraint in deciding how the community responds to the situation.
> At the Foundation, we have no tolerance for censorship of truthful
> information. Because of legal ethical rules that apply in the United
> States, however, my legal team may represent only the Foundation, not
> community members unfortunately. Nevertheless, with a clear understanding
> that we are not the lawyers for those members, we often help support them
> with our extensive global experience when the members are faced with
> serious unjustified threats. In doing so, of course, we rely on the
> community to follow its own policies, such as NPOV, and to take the
> necessary steps to ensure that contributions are factual, legal, and
> non-infringing. As set out in our terms of 
> use<http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use> ,
> WMF does not control or influence the content contributed by community
> members.
> In the case of the investigation that has involved one of the members of
> the community, we fear there is a misunderstanding since we are genuinely
> surprised by the summaries that have been provided to us. Although we may
> be mistaken, we actually thought WMF acted quite appropriately in this case
> with a close focus on the issue. Although I prefer not to go into too much
> detail given the ongoing matter, as I understand, the Wikimedian approached
> us when he received an apparent request to appear for questioning as part
> of an investigation. At that time, at our expense, one of my most senior
> attorneys at WMF contacted legal counsel in Brazil to seek a better
> understanding of the risks. Legal counsel advised us about the case in
> detail, suggesting that, under the circumstances, the risk should be
> relatively low if certain things (as we understood them) were in fact so.
> It appeared to us that the Wikimedian agreed. We nevertheless cautioned
> that the Wikimedian attend any meeting with police officials with legal
> representation to ensure his rights were adequately protected against
> unjustified claims.
> At that time, there were preliminary inquiries as to whether the
> Foundation would pay for legal counsel. Under the Legal Fees Assistance
> Program<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Legal_Fees_Assistance_Program>
>  and
> the Defense of Contributors 
> policy<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Legal_Policies#Defense_of_Contributors>,
> certain threshold criteria must normally be met. One such criterion is that
> the user must usually be named as a defendant in a legal action, which was
> not so here. We nevertheless were in close contact with the Wikimedian as
> we saw it. If the investigation had escalated, we would have reassessed the
> need for additional support.
> In a later update, we understood that the Wikimedian had obtained legal
> counsel and that the two attended a productive meeting with the
> investigator. We also had our Brazilian legal counsel review certain
> investigation documents, which confirmed our assessment.
> There was a request that WMF staff members be interviewed on the community
> policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. As a general matter, we are
> not familiar with the policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. We
> suggested that the Portuguese community play a role in this regard.
> We were watching the situation closely and providing guidance where we
> were able. We care deeply about our co

Re: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Gabriela Cortês]

?



 De: Ricardo Navalha 
Para: wikimediabr-l@lists.wikimedia.org 
Enviadas: Sábado, 1 de Dezembro de 2012 12:42
Assunto: [Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel
 

I want to thank the Portuguese Wikipedia community in Brazil for their hard 
work as Wikimedians and especially their dedication to and passion for the free 
distribution of truthful information. Like other projects, Portuguese Wikipedia 
represents an amazing collaboration and building of an encyclopedia that will 
survive for many ages. You share in the honor of constructing something great 
for the benefit of others.
Although I am not a Portuguese Wikimedian, if I may say so, I am a bit 
concerned about seeing the situation in Brazil on Portuguese Wikipedia somewhat 
escalating. May I please suggest consideration of calm and restraint in 
deciding how the community responds to the situation.
At the Foundation, we have no tolerance for censorship of truthful information. 
Because of legal ethical rules that apply in the United States, however, my 
legal team may represent only the Foundation, not community members 
unfortunately. Nevertheless, with a clear understanding that we are not the 
lawyers for those members, we often help support them with our extensive global 
experience when the members are faced with serious unjustified threats. In 
doing so, of course, we rely on the community to follow its own policies, such 
as NPOV, and to take the necessary steps to ensure that contributions are 
factual, legal, and non-infringing. As set out in our terms of use , WMF does 
not control or influence the content contributed by community members.
In the case of the investigation that has involved one of the members of the 
community, we fear there is a misunderstanding since we are genuinely surprised 
by the summaries that have been provided to us. Although we may be mistaken, we 
actually thought WMF acted quite appropriately in this case with a close focus 
on the issue. Although I prefer not to go into too much detail given the 
ongoing matter, as I understand, the Wikimedian approached us when he received 
an apparent request to appear for questioning as part of an investigation. At 
that time, at our expense, one of my most senior attorneys at WMF contacted 
legal counsel in Brazil to seek a better understanding of the risks. Legal 
counsel advised us about the case in detail, suggesting that, under the 
circumstances, the risk should be relatively low if certain things (as we 
understood them) were in fact so. It appeared to us that the Wikimedian agreed. 
We nevertheless cautioned that the Wikimedian
 attend any meeting with police officials with legal representation to ensure 
his rights were adequately protected against unjustified claims.
At that time, there were preliminary inquiries as to whether the Foundation 
would pay for legal counsel. Under the Legal Fees Assistance Program and 
the Defense of Contributors policy, certain threshold criteria must normally be 
met. One such criterion is that the user must usually be named as a defendant 
in a legal action, which was not so here. We nevertheless were in close contact 
with the Wikimedian as we saw it. If the investigation had escalated, we would 
have reassessed the need for additional support.
In a later update, we understood that the Wikimedian had obtained legal counsel 
and that the two attended a productive meeting with the investigator. We also 
had our Brazilian legal counsel review certain investigation documents, which 
confirmed our assessment.
There was a request that WMF staff members be interviewed on the community 
policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. As a general matter, we are not 
familiar with the policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. We suggested 
that the Portuguese community play a role in this regard.
We were watching the situation closely and providing guidance where we were 
able. We care deeply about our community, and, in cases of serious unjustified 
allegations, we seek to help support the community. Indeed, these types of 
cases are not uncommon. Experienced in international matters, we are constantly 
involved in rebutting unjustified allegations worldwide, and, if I may say so, 
we are often successful at it.
Again I believe that the community should not aggravate the situation to avoid 
misunderstandings or misperceptions which may unjustly expose community members 
to unfounded legal threats. For this reason, I reiterate my recommendation of 
consideration of calm and restraint in assessing and responding to the 
situation.
Thank you for your genuine concern about free expression and your indignation 
against unjust censorship. Thank you for collecting and developing educational 
content under a free license or in the public domain for the benefit of the 
world.
With warm regards,
Geoffbrigham

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Esplanada/geral/Not%C3%ADcia

[Wikimedia Brasil] Statement from WMF General Counsel

[Ricardo Navalha]

I want to thank the Portuguese Wikipedia community in Brazil for their hard
work as Wikimedians and especially their dedication to and passion for the
free distribution of truthful information. Like other projects, Portuguese
Wikipedia represents an amazing collaboration and building of an
encyclopedia that will survive for many ages. You share in the honor of
constructing something great for the benefit of others.

Although I am not a Portuguese Wikimedian, if I may say so, I am a bit
concerned about seeing the situation in Brazil on Portuguese Wikipedia
somewhat escalating. May I please suggest consideration of calm and
restraint in deciding how the community responds to the situation.

At the Foundation, we have no tolerance for censorship of truthful
information. Because of legal ethical rules that apply in the United
States, however, my legal team may represent only the Foundation, not
community members unfortunately. Nevertheless, with a clear understanding
that we are not the lawyers for those members, we often help support them
with our extensive global experience when the members are faced with
serious unjustified threats. In doing so, of course, we rely on the
community to follow its own policies, such as NPOV, and to take the
necessary steps to ensure that contributions are factual, legal, and
non-infringing. As set out in our terms of
use ,
WMF does not control or influence the content contributed by community
members.

In the case of the investigation that has involved one of the members of
the community, we fear there is a misunderstanding since we are genuinely
surprised by the summaries that have been provided to us. Although we may
be mistaken, we actually thought WMF acted quite appropriately in this case
with a close focus on the issue. Although I prefer not to go into too much
detail given the ongoing matter, as I understand, the Wikimedian approached
us when he received an apparent request to appear for questioning as part
of an investigation. At that time, at our expense, one of my most senior
attorneys at WMF contacted legal counsel in Brazil to seek a better
understanding of the risks. Legal counsel advised us about the case in
detail, suggesting that, under the circumstances, the risk should be
relatively low if certain things (as we understood them) were in fact so.
It appeared to us that the Wikimedian agreed. We nevertheless cautioned
that the Wikimedian attend any meeting with police officials with legal
representation to ensure his rights were adequately protected against
unjustified claims.

At that time, there were preliminary inquiries as to whether the Foundation
would pay for legal counsel. Under the Legal Fees Assistance
Program
and
the Defense of Contributors
policy,
certain threshold criteria must normally be met. One such criterion is that
the user must usually be named as a defendant in a legal action, which was
not so here. We nevertheless were in close contact with the Wikimedian as
we saw it. If the investigation had escalated, we would have reassessed the
need for additional support.

In a later update, we understood that the Wikimedian had obtained legal
counsel and that the two attended a productive meeting with the
investigator. We also had our Brazilian legal counsel review certain
investigation documents, which confirmed our assessment.

There was a request that WMF staff members be interviewed on the community
policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. As a general matter, we are
not familiar with the policies applicable to Portuguese Wikipedia. We
suggested that the Portuguese community play a role in this regard.

We were watching the situation closely and providing guidance where we were
able. We care deeply about our community, and, in cases of serious
unjustified allegations, we seek to help support the community. Indeed,
these types of cases are not uncommon. Experienced in international
matters, we are constantly involved in rebutting unjustified allegations
worldwide, and, if I may say so, we are often successful at it.

Again I believe that the community should not aggravate the situation to
avoid misunderstandings or misperceptions which may unjustly expose
community members to unfounded legal threats. For this reason, I reiterate
my recommendation of consideration of calm and restraint in assessing and
responding to the situation.

Thank you for your genuine concern about free expression and your
indignation against unjust censorship. Thank you for collecting and
developing educational content under a free license or in the public domain
for the benefit of the world.

With warm regards,

Geoffbrigham 


http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Es