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Wikimedia opposes government’s motion to dismiss Wikimedia v. NSA

The ACLU filed an opposition yesterday to the U.S. government’s recent motion to dismiss Wikimedia v. NSA, the Wikimedia Foundation’s challenge to the National Security Agency’s ’s “upstream” surveillance program. The filing lays out a point-by-point refutation of the government’s arguments, in advance of a hearing scheduled for September 25.

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Photo by Ktr101, freely licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Innovation is welcome: apply for grants to improve Wikimedia

If you have an idea like or completely different from this that will improve a Wikimedia project, consider participating in Individual Engagement Grants open call for proposals from August 30th through September 29th on Meta. If your idea is still a seed, you can share it in our IdeaLab to seek staff mentorship, community feedback, and a team of collaborators to help it evolve.

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Spock Monroe" by Ludovic Bertron, freely licensed under CC-by-2.0.

Launching the Wikimedia Public Policy site

The Wikimedia Foundation is excited to introduce the new Wikimedia Public Policy site. Public policy is vital for a world where everyone can freely access, share, create, and remix knowledge.

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News on Wikipedia: New Zealand selects flags, Google freshens up, and more

Here are some of the global news stories covered on Wikipedia this week: New Zealand announces a shortlist of four flags to be voted on in a referendum; Google radically changes its logo for the first time in sixteen years; Mt. McKinley is officially renamed “Denali”, ending a 40-year dispute; The 2015 World Athletics Championships conclude in Beijing; The Temple of Bel is destroyed by jihadist group ISIL in Syria.

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Wikimedia Research Newsletter Logo, by DarTar, under CC BY-SA 3.0

Wikimedia Research Newsletter, August 2015

OpenSym 2015 report; PageRank and wiki quality; news suggestions; the impact of open access

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Photo by Olivier Ortelpa, freely licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Collaborate to make #Edit2015: a Wikipedia Year-in-Review video

You can collaborate to make #Edit2015: a Wikipedia Year-in-Review video. Read how together we can edit our shared history of the events of 2015 by finding articles, uploading photos and developing the story of 2015 as a video that will be shared freely and widely.

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Photo by Federico Di Iorio, freely licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

In September, we love monuments

Today marks the start of the sixth edition of Wiki Loves Monuments, the largest photography competition in the world. Thousands of Wikipedia readers and contributors from more than 30 countries around the globe will be taking part in the contest, hoping to document their local heritage, contribute to Wikipedia, and perhaps win a little prize. Here’s a preview of the competition with a special focus on a long-term participant, Italy.

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Hundreds of “black hat” English Wikipedia accounts blocked following investigation

After weeks of investigation, volunteer editors on English Wikipedia announced today that they blocked 381 user accounts for undisclosed paid advocacy.

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Video by Victor Grigas, freely licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Funding projects and pizza with Wikimedia Foundation grants: meet Emily Temple-Wood

Veteran editor Emily Temple-Wood focuses on medical articles and improving Wikipedia’s coverage of women scientists. She’s found the ideal method of attracting newcomers to events and workshops: Lots of pizza.

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Wikimedia’s new developer-friendly trademark guidelines for apps

Our new app guidelines, based on our Trademark Policy, make it easier than ever to use Wikimedia Foundation trademarks and content in apps. The guidelines are accessible and clearly lay out practical examples for app developers to encourage innovation using Wikimedia material

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