
Turkey's Wikipedia block violates human rights, high court rules - BrandiATMuhkuh
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/26/turkish-court-wikipedia-block-lifted
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Ozzie_osman
I remember watching a documentary about ex-members of an insular religious
community. One of the ex-members who was deprived from all sorts of modernity,
commented with extreme emotion how angry he was once he discovered Wikipedia.
Of all the things he was deprived of, that one stood out... being able to find
out factual information about almost any topic in an instant.

That stuck with me. For all of its faults, Wikipedia is amazing, and yes, it
feels like depriving people of such a tool is a violation of human rights.

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Ozzie_osman
Found it! Documentary was "One of Us" on Netflix, here's a quote:

"One, a teenager, Ari, left as his thirst for knowledge came into conflict
with religious restrictions. “Wikipedia,” he says, “was a gift from God.”"

[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/movies/one-of-us-
review.h...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/movies/one-of-us-review.html)

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emayljames
Wikipedia is hardly a bastion of freedom. Just look at the whole "Philip
Cross" affair (still ongoing). Glass houses....
[https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Philip_Cross](https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Philip_Cross)

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woodandsteel
So you think the world would be just fine if Wikipedia were abolished? And
perhaps that is your intention?

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archie2
As terrible as this is, access to Wikipedia is hardly a "right".

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woodandsteel
If a right is something that makes society better if people have it, then
access to Wikipedia or something like it is definitely a right.

And in fact it falls under freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

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archie2
> If a right is something that makes society better if people have it.

That's not what a right is. Saying that access to Wikipedia is a right implies
the ability to coerce somebody to give it to you if you lack it. At best it's
a privilege.

