Image filter referendum/FAQ/lb

De Referendum huet de 30. August 2011 opgehal. Et gi keng Stëmme méi ugeholl.
D'Resultater goufen den 1. September 2011 ugekënnegt.

Referendum iwwer Billerfilter

Organisatioun

Dëst ass eng Lëscht vun den dacks gestallte Froen an Äntwerten. Individuell Froen an aner Diskussioune gehéieren op Talk:Image filter referendum.

What is the personal image hiding feature?

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The personal image hiding feature will give logged-in and anonymous users the ability to easily hide images they do not wish to view on Wikimedia projects.

What are the principles behind its creation?

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  1. It is an opt-in only feature. All Wikimedia content loads on all user browsers by default. The feature is activated only after all content has been loaded, and then only when specifically requested by a user.
  2. It is a personal system. Decisions you make are for yourself alone.
  3. Images cannot be removed by this feature, merely hidden. A simple command can reveal any hidden image at any time.
  4. The feature is to be culturally neutral, and all-inclusive.
  5. The principle of least astonishment is basic to its creation.

What is the principle of least astonishment?

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The principle of least astonishment means that users should never be surprised by content they were not expecting to encounter on Wikimedia sites. If you click on an article about cycling, you do not expect to see images of nude cyclists. If you click on an article about locks, you do not expect to see graphic images of - for example - sexual bondage. The image hiding feature allows you to make decisions for yourself that will reduce these possibilities.

How will the feature work?

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Users – both logged-in and anonymous – will be able to select from pre-established categories the kind of images they wish be hidden on Wikimedia pages. They may also hide individual images in those categories when they first come upon them. These decisions are reversible at any time. Images selected for hiding may still be viewed by a simple command.

What images will be hideable?

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Hideable images will be grouped into categories. The community will decide the category structure and determine which images should be placed within those categories.

What’s the background of the personal image hider?

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The Board of the Wikimedia Foundation asked the Foundation and community to design and implement this feature this past May for inclusion on all Wikimedia projects, as part of their resolution on controversial content.

That resolution was the Board’s response to the Report on Controversial Content that was commissioned last summer to help the Board and community come to grips with issues surrounding this type of content on Wikimedia projects, an issue long discussed within the projects. The introduction of a feature like the personal image hider was one of the recommendations of that report. The decision to survey editor reaction to the feature by way of a referendum was the Foundation’s.

How will this feature affect the way content decisions are made on Wikimedia projects?

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It doesn’t affect them at all. The feature does not determine what content appears on Wikimedia sites. The Wikimedia community, following current policies and guidelines, determines that. The Personal Image Hiding Feature merely allows readers and other users the ability to choose to view that content in a way that suits their own personal preferences.

Why is this being implemented?

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The feature is being implemented to increase choice and satisfaction levels for those who use Wikimedia projects. It is thus expected the feature will lead to increased usage of Wikimedia projects worldwide. As it is a feature that increases some people’s choice, without negatively affecting any other person’s choices, it allows us to serve our readers and other users in a more responsive way.

Is the personal image hiding feature a form of censorship?

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No. The feature only affects the viewing experience of the person who chooses to use it and only in the manner they choose for themselves. It does not affect any other user. The full range of Wikimedia content is always available to every user who wishes to view it. No content is ever removed from Wikimedia projects by this feature, even for those who activate it. Selected content is merely temporarily hidden from their view.

What is the nature of the questions being asked in this referendum?

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The design of the personal image hiding filter is in its early stages. The preliminary work on the feature can be seen at mw:Personal image filter. It is based on certain principles. Before we proceed any further on the design, we are interested in getting your views as to the relative significance of these principles. That feedback will guide the further development of the feature, which will occur with full community participation.