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View all search resultsWikimedia restriction sparks digital rights, free knowledge concerns
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Homepage of Wikipedia, a free internet encyclopedia, is seen on the computer screen under magnifying glass.
(Shutterstock/pixinoo)
T
he government’s temporary restriction on platforms operated by nonprofit organization Wikimedia Foundation has raised concerns among digital rights advocates, who warn that arbitrary controls risk undermining citizens’ access to free knowledge and freedom of expression.
In late February, the Communications and Digital Ministry banned access to auth.wikimedia.org, the single sign-in gateway for Wikimedia platforms, including the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia and media repository Wikimedia Commons, citing the platform’s failure to register in Indonesia.
The move effectively prevented voluntary contributors, known as Wikimedians, from uploading or editing content across Wikimedia services from within the country.
On March 25, Wikipedia Indonesia, the local community of contributors, reported that Wikimedia Commons had also become inaccessible even to logged-out users, quickly drawing widespread attention on social media. Access, however, was later restored the same day.
Communications ministry digital space supervision director general Alexander Sabar attributed the disruption to a “false positive”, saying an automated system had mistakenly flagged content resembling prohibited material, particularly online gambling.
“The incident could have been prevented had Wikimedia been included in the whitelist database,” Alexander said in a statement on March 27. “However, as it has not completed registration as a private electronic system operator in Indonesia, Wikimedia Commons has not been categorized under the whitelist in the blocking system.”
As of Thursday, the login restriction remained in place, with access attempts redirected to the main Wikimedia site. Pages continue to display a banner noting restricted registration and login, although articles remain readable.
