Wikipedia Zero

Image shows Wikipedia is free via Ncell Multi-Network in Nepal.

Wikipedia Zero is a project by the Wikimedia Foundation to provide Wikipedia free of charge on mobile phones via zero-rating, particularly in developing markets.^[1][2] The program was launched in 2012,^[3] and won a 2013 SXSW Interactive Award for activism.^[4] The objective of the program is to increase access to free knowledge: in particular without data-usage cost.

Facebook Zero has been cited as an inspiration for Wikipedia Zero.^[5]

History

Map of participating countries, as of May 2016

Below is a selective history of launches. For a complete list of participating mobile networks and launch dates, see Wikimedia Foundation: mobile network partners.

• May 2012: Malaysia, with Digi Telecommunications^[6]
• July 26, 2012: Kenya, with Orange S.A.
• October 2012: Thailand, with dtac; Saudi Arabia with Saudi Telecom Company
• May 2013: Pakistan, with Mobilink^{[7] [8]}
• June 2013: Sri Lanka, with Dialog Axiata^[9]
• October 2013: Jordan, with Umniah; Bangladesh, with Banglalink^[10][11]
• April 2014: Kosovo, on the IPKO network^[12]
• May 2014: Nepal, with Ncell^[13] and in Kyrgyzstan with Beeline^[14]
• May 2014: Nigeria, with Airtel Nigeria ^[15]
• October 2014: Ukraine, with Kyivstar^[16]
• December 2014: Ghana, with MTN Ghana^[17][18]
• September 2014: Myanmar, with Telenor^[19]
• December 2014: Angola, with Unitel S.A.

Participating mobile networks

See Wikimedia Foundation: mobile network partners.

Reception and impact

Promotional video, produced by the Wikimedia Foundation and narrated by Jimmy Wales.

Promotional video about free access to Wikipedia, featuring a school-class from South Africa and their open letter to tele-cos.

The Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones of Chile ruled that zero-rating services like Wikipedia Zero, Facebook Zero, and Google Free Zone, that subsidize mobile data usage, violate net neutrality laws and had to end the practice by June 1, 2014.^[20][21] The Electronic Frontier Foundation has said, "Whilst we appreciate the intent behind efforts such as Wikipedia Zero, ultimately zero rated services are a dangerous compromise."^[22] Accessnow.org has been more critical, saying, "Wikimedia has always been a champion for open access to information, but it’s crucial to call out zero-rating programs for what they are: Myopic deals that do great damage to the future of the open internet."^[23] The Wikimedia Foundation's Gayle Karen Young defended the program to the Washington Post, saying, "We have a complicated relationship to net neutrality. We believe in net neutrality in America," while adding that Wikipedia Zero required a different perspective in other countries: "Partnering with telecom companies in the near term, it blurs the net neutrality line in those areas. It fulfills our overall mission, though, which is providing free knowledge."^[24]

Hilary Heuler argues that "for many, zero-rated programs would limit online access to the 'walled gardens' offered by the web heavyweights. For millions of users, Facebook and Wikipedia would be synonymous with 'internet'."^[25] In 2015, researchers evaluating how the similar program Facebook Zero shapes ICT use in the developing world found that 11% of Indonesians who said they used Facebook also said they did not use the Internet. 65% of Nigerians, and 61% of Indonesians agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet" compared with only 5% in the US.^[26]

See also

• Alliance for Affordable Internet
• Distance learning
• Facebook Zero
• Google Free Zone
• Internet.org
• Net Neutrality
• Zero-rating

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wikipedia Zero.

• Wikipedia Zero at the Wikimedia Foundation
• Official website
• Wikimedia blog posts about Wikipedia Zero