The Wikimedia Foundation does not censor articles upon court requests, deferring to volunteer editors. But after the SC order in the Kolkata rape-murder case, the foundation moved to appeal to its volunteers to consider the issue while avoiding confrontation
After the Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) ordered that the identity of the medic murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata should be removed from Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation moved to avert a confrontation with the highest court. The Foundation does not as a policy edit or censor articles, complicating its ability to directly change the contents of the Wikipedia entry on the incident. Instead, a representative for the foundation participated in an existing user discussion on whether the victim’s name should be mentioned in the article on the incident, and the name has been removed, for now, by volunteer editors.
“The Wikimedia Foundation has received enquiries related to the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling against the inclusion of the name and image of the victim of this crime in online media,” Joe Sutherland, who is a part of trust and safety team at the Foundation told users. “Organisations supporting victims of sexual violence have advocated for this general practice. In some cases, naming the victim of sexual violence may involve considering the safety of the victim’s family and friends.” Mr. Sutherland made the comment after the Supreme Court had ordered all electronic media to stop publicising the victim’s name, but one day before Wikipedia was singled out by the court.
Courtesy; The Hindu
