Wikimedia Foundation/Legal/Global Advocacy/About

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Global Advocacy

Goals: Protect the the model, the people, and the values of our movement

We advocate for laws and regulations that protect the Wikimedia model of volunteer-led governance and support its sustainable reuse over time.

We advocate against laws and regulations that threaten the people, model, and values of the free knowledge movement.

Protect the model of volunteer-led governance of Wikimedia’s free knowledge projects by promoting access to knowledge and free expression, modern copyright rules for the digital age, and strong intermediary protections.
Protect the people in our communities by advocating for robust privacy rights and taking action against mass surveillance.
Protect the values of the Wikimedia movement, leading by example in defending the human rights of people who interact with Wikimedia projects and taking action to secure information integrity.

We recognize that Wikipedia is part of, and also depends upon, a much broader ecosystem of knowledge consumption, production, and dissemination. That's why we support volunteers and allied organizations around the world to advocate for laws and policies that enable a strong, diverse knowledge ecosystem that protects and respects human rights and supports the global free flow of information.

If you are looking to work with us, want to learn how we can support you, or are unsure whether you need support from Legal or Policy, please see this page.

What we do: Policy priorities

Priority 1. Ensure that laws and regulations protect the Wikimedia model and support its sustainable reuse over time.

The GA team will advocate for policies that defend the knowledge commons from inappropriate reuse by AI companies and others, while ensuring that protections for content owners do not harm development of free content.

As part of this effort, we aim to build and foster a network of supporters in critical regions who understand the key features and value of the Wikimedia model and human knowledge in the age of AI.

In these resources you can learn more about the need to support sustainable reuse of the knowledge commons:

Article by the Wikimedia Foundation explaining how AI scraping incurs costs to the infrastructure of the knowledge commons (see also 2026 update) and normative framework that guides WMF’s perspective on the social contract of free knowledge.
2025 Research brief that outlines the technical, legal, and economic challenges surrounding current AI scraping practices which WMF’s advocacy efforts aim to address.
2026 WMF publication putting forward a policy position to understand knowledge commons as critical digital infrastructure.

Priority 2. Ensure that new legislation and regulation around online safety will not harm key values of the community’s editorial review or principles of open governance.

The rise of legislative measures to address online safety concerns, particularly harms against children using the Internet, is a trend that often inadvertently harms Wikimedia projects.

We are committed to the aim of protecting children and all users of our projects. However, increasing legislation on the topic is often designed with commercial actors in mind and inadvertently harms key values of our projects such as the community’s ownership of editorial review, user privacy, and principles of community-led governance. As the legal platform host, the Foundation’s Global Advocacy team directly engages with governments in discussions on this topic.

You can learn more about this trend of legislation in the dedicated section under our “documentation” tab. For a general introduction on this issue area, see the resources below.

2022 series of blogs explaining the rise of online safety legislation and threat to Wikimedia’s work; for specific example and concerns see 2023 article about legislation in the UK.
2026 series of blogs explaining the Wikimedia Foundation's position on age-verification technologies

Additional policy topics that are important for Wikimedians

The topics below are additional areas that impact the free knowledge movement. These are topics that we encourage affiliates of the Wikimedia movement to prioritize in their own advocacy efforts.

Additional Policy Topics
Copyright	Copyright matters because overly aggressive enforcement of copyright laws blocks people from speaking freely. Laws and policies must balance protecting the incentive to create with preserving free speech in order for Wikimedia projects to thrive. Ex: See the topic archive.
Privacy	Mass surveillance robs people on our projects of privacy, safety, and freedom – especially people in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. We must change the deeply invasive surveillance programs around the world to make sure our people are protected. Ex: SIM Card Registration Act in the Philippines; Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the USA. See more under the topic archive.
Freedom of Expression	Access to knowledge forms the core of Wikimedia’s mission. Freedom of expression is a precondition for Wikimedians to contribute, access, and debate information openly and collaboratively. Promoting and protecting this fundamental human right against threats is therefore fundamental to ensuring our people, projects, and values can thrive. Ex: SLAPP cases (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) against Wikimedia and as a general trend to silence civil society; Domain Name System and Internet Shutdowns as a tool to curb freedom of expression.
Information Integrity	Information integrity is essential to uphold democratic processes and human rights around the world, yet the wrong response to integrity attacks can threaten freedom of expression. We must promote information integrity on our projects and make sure policies around the world protect freedom of expression. Ex: 2026 report on “Transforming information into democracy: Intersections between public interest journalism and open knowledge”; 2024 Blueprint on Information Integrity by the Freedom Online Coalition; WMF research to support information integrity.

Your help is welcome. If you are organizing (or want to organize) a policy action that correlates to one of these policy areas, please contact us at globaladvocacywikimediaorg.

How we do it: Methods and activities

The Global Advocacy team monitors, analyzes, and provides input on laws, policies, and practices that impact the Wikimedia projects and the broader Wikimedia movement.

Activities include: Tracking and providing comments on proposed laws by participating in government consultations or submitting amicus briefs; talking to governments and intergovernmental bodies; joining industry and civil society coalitions; conducting research about effective regulation; and, working with community leaders to address their policy concerns. We share how proposed legislations would impact WMF by writing articles and blogs, signing open letters, joining podcast discussions, and attending regional workshops.
Relationship building is a key part of this work. The aim is to establish the Wikimedia movement as an important stakeholder in global internet policy so that when Wikimedia intervenes, those in power pay attention and consider action. To this end, we attend internet governance and industry conferences where we host panels on priority issue areas and our calls to action before core policy stakeholders. Our goal is to remind the world that open knowledge is a public good that has to be protected.
Prioritizing work is essential for a small team with global responsibility. The team considers several factors when deciding whether to engage in advocacy regarding a particular issue or at a particular time. To determine relevance, we may look at the impact of an issue on the people in the movement, the model by which our platform is organized, or the values we hold as a movement. We also look for opportunities where our movement, model, or values can bring something unique to a policy conversation or have a particularly strong impact. Finally, we work closely with the regional community to identify issues that are particularly relevant to their work in the movement.

Collaborating with the movement

To learn more about how the Wikimedia Foundation’s Global Advocacy team works with partners in the Wikimedia movement, please see the dedicated page.

Policy monitoring and analysis: We track policy developments around the world, explain what they mean for Wikimedia projects, and share information about emerging trends and opportunities. These updates are shared via the public policy mailing list, select recurring calls with members of the advocacy network, and blog posts on Medium and Diff.
Resources: We develop and share advocacy resources—such as policy positions, talking points, submissions, and training materials—that affiliates can adapt for their own work. These are shared via the public policy mailing list, our Meta-Wiki pages, and select recurring calls with members of the advocacy network.
Capacity building: We also organize workshops and learning opportunities where they can benefit multiple communities; these are typically held online, as preconferences to Wikimania, or at regional events.
Coordination on priority advocacy initiatives: On issues that are central to the Wikimedia Foundation's policy priorities, we may work alongside affiliates on advocacy campaigns, consultations, multilateral engagement, or strategic litigation.
Convening and introductions: We help connect affiliates with policymakers, civil society organizations, researchers, journalists, and other partners working on issues relevant to Wikimedia's mission.
Advice on policy engagement: We can connect affiliates to relevant policy processes and offer feedback on submissions where appropriate.

Who We Are

Jan Gerlach (he/him), Public Policy Director (jgerlachwikimediaorg): Jan leads our efforts to educate lawmakers and governments around the world about positive internet policy that promotes and protects Wikipedia and participation in knowledge. He steers the regional- and context-specific policy work of our public policy specialists. Learn more about Jan in his own words.
Allison Davenport (she/her), Manager, Public Policy Research and Analysis (adavenportwikimediaorg): Allison works on domestic and global policy issues related to copyright, intermediary liability, and freedom of expression. She helps develop value-based public policy positions while overseeing policy research and academic fellowships. Learn more about Allison in her own words.
Richard ("Ricky") Gaines (he/him), Human Rights Policy & Advocacy Lead (rgaineswikimediaorg): Ricky leads the Advocacy and Activism team in strengthening the roles of the Movement and Foundation in advocating for public policies that support and protect human rights globally. He develops external and internal advocacy strategies that support and protect human rights of all members of the Wikimedia movement and also drives the implementation of the Human Rights Policy, including coordinating human rights impact assessments across Wikimedia projects. As part of this work, he works with staff and volunteers in the wider Wikimedia community. Learn more about Ricky in his own words.

Contact Ricky for: anything related to the Foundation's Human Rights Policy.

Franziska ("Ziski") Putz (she/her), Senior Movement Advocacy Manager (fputzwikimediaorg): Ziski is in charge of driving community engagement around public policy. She works with community members to co-create capacity building and awareness programs so that Wikimedians around the world can leverage their voices to advocate for their own communities. Ziski also runs our community-facing communications including blogs and conversation hours. Learn more about Ziski in her own words.

Contact Ziski for: anything related to working with the public policy team – public policy advocacy grants, a campaign idea, workshop request, desire for more information, or feedback on how we can improve our partnership with the community.

Amalia Toledo (she/her), Lead Public Policy Specialist for Latin America & the Caribbean (atoledowikimediaorg): Amalia is our expert on public policy for Latin America & the Caribbean. She works with allied organizations and community members across the region to keep a pulse on country-specific issues related to free knowledge. Learn more about Amalia in her own words.

Contact Amalia for: public policy issues, speaking opportunities, or advocacy campaigns related to digital rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Stan Adams (he/him), Lead Public Policy Specialist for North America, (sadamswikimediaorg): Stan is our expert on public policy for North America. He works with allied organizations and community members across the region to keep a pulse on country-specific issues related to free knowledge.

Contact Stan for: public policy issues, speaking opportunities, or advocacy campaigns related to digital rights in North America.

Costanza Sciubba Caniglia (she/her), Knowledge Integrity Strategy Lead (csciubbacanigliawikimediaorg): Costanza leads our efforts on information integrity. She is responsible for coordinating across the Foundation on disinformation, liaising with the communities and affiliates, and maintaining open lines of communication with governments, civil society organizations, and academia. She works with these partners to advocate for effective policy responses that strengthen information integrity and protect free knowledge.

Contact Costanza for: anything related to information integrity, UN initiatives, speaking opportunities, or volunteer-led efforts to support the quality of information on Wiki.

Miguelángel ("Miguel") Verde Garrido (he/him), Senior Editorial Project Manager (mverdewikimediaorg): Miguel shapes and leads advocacy communications for diverse audiences of external and internal stakeholders. He works with the team and colleagues across multiple departments, as well as Wikimedia affiliates, allies, and active volunteers, to produce high-quality public policy advocacy communications. Learn more about Miguel in his own words.

Contact Miguel for: anything related to publishing opportunities for the team and its members.

Katherine ("Kat") Gatewood (she/her), Senior Operations Manager (kgatewoodwikimediaorg). Kat helps to manage team expansion, drive strategic planning, put systems and processes in place to manage the work within the team as well as across other teams and departments, and refine our approaches to collaborating effectively with external partners. Learn more about Kat in her own words.

Examples of our Work

To learn more about what we do on a monthly basis, check-out our monthly retrospectives. Highlights include: The EU Digital Services Act, Myanmar Draft Cybersecurity Law, the EARN IT Act in the USA, and our work with Wikimedians to help them gain representation at UN agencies, counter a Chilean bill, and jointly advance the Foundation-wide Human Rights Policy.

Watch and listen to our team in action to learn more about what we do:

Content Moderation and Human Rights: [English language video] Allison Davenport speaking at the 2021 UN Internet Governance Forum about the importance of incorporating guiding principles from human rights law and participatory decision-making of users from developing countries in the governance of digital platforms.
EU Legislative Files Important to Wikimedia: [English language video] Dimi and Anna from the Free Knowledge Advocacy Group EU present what EU legislative files matter for Wikimedia and why in a 10-minute lightning talk at Wikimania 2021.
Challenges to Freedom of Expression Online from the Perspective of Those Affected: [Spanish and English language video] Amalia Toledo moderating a panel discussion at the 2021 Americas Dialogue.
Unaccountable Online Platforms Impact Human Rights and Democratic Practices: [English language podcast] 'Internet of Humans' Podcast in which Jillian York and Konstantinos Komaitis talk to Rebecca MacKinnon about how the convergence of unchecked government actions and unaccountable government practices is threatening the future of democracy and human rights around the world...and where Wikimedia projects sit in relation to these trends. Podcast is available on PlayerFM, Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
Journalism and Competition Act in the USA: [Spanish and English language podcast] Kate Ruane interviewed by Wikimedia Small Projects for an episode of the SuenaWiki podcast to discuss how the JCPA runs counter to copyright standards that would support the free and open nature of the internet

Get involved

There are many ways to work with our team! Visit the Get Involved page to learn about grants and see examples of previous collaborations with Wikimedians.

For any other questions please e-mail globaladvocacywikimediaorg.