Mediaboss Marketing

WHO and Wikipedia Partner to Prevent Spread of False Information About COVID-19

Wikipedia, the frequently used online encyclopedia will work with the WHO to provide verified information about coronavirus.

Wikipedia and the World Health Organization announced a collaboration intended to stop the spread of false information about COVID-19 on October 22, according to the New York Times.

The WHO will allow Wikipedia to use information, graphics and videos for free. As part of the partnership, a large chunk of the WHOs material will enter Wikimedia's commons, which means that no permission will be required to reproduce it.

Equitable access to trusted health information is critical to keeping people safe and informed, said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Another aspect of this collaboration, which is the first between Wikipedia and a health agency, is that info from WHO will be published in 175 languages through Wikipedia instead of the usual six languages.

This could lead to an expansion to include correction of misinformation on diseases like Ebola and AIDS.

About the Author

Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.

Continued here:
WHO and Wikipedia Partner to Prevent Spread of False Information About COVID-19 - Occupational Health and Safety

Aftereasilypassingananti-abortion amendment, Louisianagota new flag on its Wikipedia pageWednesday morning. Its redwith a sunbeam and a bird holding an olive branch. Its also the flag used to representGilead, theinfamousdystopianandpatriarchalsocietyon HulusThe Handmaids Tale.

The new state motto?Blessed be the fruit.State nicknamesincludedThe Bayou State, Pelican State and Gilead.While these additionsweretaken downquickly, the flag and seal, which also reads Blessed be the fruit,lasted on the page until a little after noon Wednesday.

Reddit userFwcaseyfirst posted a screenshot to the New Orleans subreddit Wednesday morningwhen the nicknames and mottos were changed. Since the user posted, the flag and the seal were added, a change that appeared a bitless obvious to Wikipedia administrators. After all, bothflagshave birds.

After some sleuthing, another Reddit user DrinkmorecodemoresaidaWikipedia userby the very serious name ofMaster 420 69 was responsible for the changes. Wikipedia has already temporarily suspended that account, whosepast edit historyappears tohave included the addition of this crucial piece of incorrect informationto theentry for skeleton:A skeleton is made up of 205 bones in case you did not know.(Its typically 206 bones.)

The trolling comes after 62% of Louisiana voters approvedan amendmentthat will add language to the state constitution stating it does not include a right to abortion or the funding of abortion. Before there was nospecificlanguage in the constitution about abortion, butthis was aimed at making surecourts do not interpret the state constitution as protecting abortion rightsin the future.

In Orleans Parish, 75%of voters, or127,213 people,voted against the amendment.The surrounding suburbs of Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes both approved the amendment, though by smaller margins than the whole state. InJefferson Parish, 54% of voters approved the amendmentcompared to56% of voters in St. Bernard Parish.

Louisianaalreadyhad whats known as a trigger law on the books since 2006. Thelawwill automatically ban almost all abortions in the state if the Supreme Court decides tooverturnRoe v. Wade, the 1973 decision establishing the right to legal abortion before an embryo or fetus can survive outside the womb.

Abortion rights activists fear the amendment could make it more difficult to challenge anti-abortion laws in the stateordare we say itpass any laws making itanyeasierfor womento access abortion in the future.

The Hulu series is an adaptation of Margaret Atwoods 1985 novel of the same name, and the shows fourth season is set to premiere next year.At Womens Marches in recent years, some have dressed in the signature long which red robes and white bonnets, which the handmaids are forced to wear every day. Its a reminder of whatsome fearcouldhappenif womensreproductiverights continue to be chipped awayat the state and federal levels.

The march brought around 200 people to City Hall Saturday afternoon, but it almost didnt happen when police didnt arrive to clear traffic for marchers.

View post:
Blessed be the Wikipedia trolls: Louisiana's page gets dystopian makeover after election - NOLA.com

(Reuters) - Wikipedia has locked down its main election page ahead of the U.S. presidential election so that only certain editors can make changes, part of preparations to combat potential disinformation and abuses related to Tuesdays vote.

The online encyclopedias articles, written primarily by unpaid volunteers, are relied on by platforms from Alphabet Incs Google to Amazon Incs voice assistant Alexa to give their users information and context.

Were not worried about vandals who want to just mess up an article in order to cause a little trouble. The Wikipedia community deals with those issues for breakfast, Ryan Merkley, chief of staff at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization which hosts Wikipedia, said in a phone interview.

Were really worried about coordinated actors ... trying to find a way to disseminate information ... in a way that could cause people, for example, to choose not to vote or to influence the outcome of the election based on something that was not true.

Internet researchers say Wikipedia, which says it is committed to neutrality, has emerged as a relatively trusted site, while major social platforms like Facebook and Twitter have struggled to curb viral misinformation.

This year, Merkley said, the Wikimedia Foundation for the first time put together a disinformation task-force to run election exercises with staff and community members.

Last week, community members moved to add extra protections to the 2020 United States presidential election article so only users who have had a registered account for more than 30 days and have made 500 edits on the site can alter the page.

Merkley said Wikipedia has seen the creation of fake accounts, people making false edits to screenshot and share on social media and attempts to use content from unreliable sources or skew articles to a bias.

He said the Wikimedia Foundation had been meeting with industry partners and U.S. government officials, including from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security, but that it had not yet seen any state actors flagged by government officials operating on Wikipedia.

A Wikimedia spokeswoman said there are currently 72 English-Wikipedia articles related to the U.S. election and that there are about 2,600 editors watching those pages who get alerts for any edits.

Merkley said staff rarely make interventions but there could be instances around the election, such as direct calls for violence, where they would remove content or take action against a user.

Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford; Editing by Greg Mitchell and Nick Zieminski

Read the original post:
Wikipedia buttons up key pages ahead of U.S. election - Reuters

Wikipedia has locked down its main election page ahead of the US presidential election so that only certain editors can make changes, part of preparations to combat potential disinformation and abuses related to Tuesday's vote.

The online encyclopedia's articles, written primarily by unpaid volunteers, are relied on by platforms from Alphabet's Google to Amazonvoice assistant Alexa to give their users information and context.

"We're not worried about vandals who want to just mess up an article in order to cause a little trouble. The Wikipedia community deals with those issues for breakfast," Ryan Merkley, chief of staff at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organisation which hosts Wikipedia, said in a phone interview.

"We're really worried about coordinated actors ... trying to find a way to disseminate information ... in a way that could cause people, for example, to choose not to vote or to influence the outcome of the election based on something that was not true."

Internet researchers say Wikipedia, which says it is committed to neutrality, has emerged as a relatively trusted site, while major social platforms like Facebook and Twitter have struggled to curb viral misinformation.

This year, Merkley said, the Wikimedia Foundation for the first time put together a disinformation task-force to run election exercises with staff and community members.

Last week, community members moved to add extra protections to the '2020 United States presidential election' article so only users who have had a registered account for more than 30 days and have made 500 edits on the site can alter the page.

Merkley said Wikipedia has seen the creation of fake accounts, people making false edits to screenshot and share on social media and attempts to use content from unreliable sources or skew articles to a bias.

He said the Wikimedia Foundation had been meeting with industry partners and US government officials, including from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security, but that it had not yet seen any state actors flagged by government officials operating on Wikipedia.

A Wikimedia spokeswoman said there are currently 72 English-Wikipedia articles related to the US election and that there are about 2,600 editors 'watching' those pages who get alerts for any edits.

Merkley said staff rarely make interventions but there could be instances around the election, such as direct calls for violence, where they would remove content or take action against a user.

Thomson Reuters 2020

Are iPhone 12 mini, HomePod mini the Perfect Apple Devices for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Originally posted here:
Wikipedia Locks Key Pages to Combat Disinformation Ahead of US Presidential Elections - Gadgets 360

While we still don't have a solid idea of what the amethyst crystals will be capable of, we do know where to look for ideas on what could be coming.

Minecraft's 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update may be months away, but it seems that we get more information about it every week. This time, we learned that a Minecraft developer read a Wikipedia article for inspiration on the new amethyst crystals being added in 1.17.

At the beginning of October, we learned that the next big update to Minecraft would be called Caves and Cliffs. This update will include new mobs, like the Glow Squid; new cave types, like the Mesh caves; and a new copper ore. Of course, the Minecraft Live event that introduced these elements didn't elaborate on much, leading many to wonder what the specifics of the new additions would be.

Related:Minecraft: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Hoglins

While we still don't have a solid idea of what the amethyst crystals will be capable of, we do know where to look for ideas on what could be coming. During a Q&A on October 30, a group of developers was asked if you would be able to craft binoculars, as well as a spyglass, with the new crystals. While developer Corey Scheviak said that, no, you will not be able to craft binoculars, he did tell ushow they thought to add the spyglass.

Apparently, Scheviak was sitting in bedthinking of what the team could do with crystalswhen he decided to google the word "crystal". That led him tothrough a Wikipediapage on everything that crystals can do. He explains that, "I gave her [Agnes Larsson] like 50 ideas, and she was like, 'That one! That one right there! The spyglass!'"

In our attempt to replicate that search (we went to Wikipedia and searched "uses for crystals") we found a lot of interesting potential usesincluding redstone and health applications. For example, crystals have been used to create radios and as healing remedies in the real-world. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that these uses would easily translate to your Minecraft world.

Scheviak said that there is "at least one" additional use for crystals coming in 1.17 and one that he is hoping will be added in. Although he did not elaborate on what those would be, he did reference the list of items (that he got from Wikipedia) before mentioning this. Time will tell what will be added, but the possibilities are fascinating, even if those possibilitieswon't include colored lights.

Go here to read the rest:
Minecraft Developer Read A Wikipedia Article For Inspiration On Crystals - TheGamer