[Foundation-l] Latest board resolutions

Tue Aug 1 16:30:22 UTC 2006

Jimmy Wales wrote:

>I think anyone who thinks Wikipedia should be more famous and more
>popular should be excited, rather than fearful, about the prospect of an
>out-of-the-blue confiscation of our servers or shutdown.  Such an event
>would make us more powerful than ever.
>
>  
>
>>>>See "FBI seizes Indymedia servers"
>>>><http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/08/1097089554894.html>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Nothing we do can prevent this kind of activity from the American KGB. 
>>>
>>>Ec
>>>      
>>>
>>Who said it had to be the FBI for that matter.  The State of Florida is 
>>just as capable of messing around like this as well (or other local law 
>>enforcement agencies), and likely to screw things up when they try to 
>>physcially seize the equipment... or more so since they don't tend to 
>>have the technical background of the FBI.
>>    
>>
I would have to agree completely with you here.  I would point out, 
though, that law enforcement is also made up of mere mortals who 
sometimes do make mistakes and sometimes don't know who they are going 
after until it is too late.  That and I've seen stranger things before. 
 Wikipedia is still new enough that non-tech savvy people still don't 
have a clue as to what Wikipedia really is.

I'll also say that if you think the donations are fairly good right now 
to keep the server farm going, you ain't seen nothing compared to what a 
legal defense fund would be like if the WMF were directly challenged 
with a lawsuit based on Wikipedia content.  Confiscation of servers 
would cause an already huge defense fund to simply hire the best lawyers 
on the planet, like former solicitor generals and law school deans that 
money simply can't buy.

-- 
Robert Scott Horning