Note: Article [1] [es] by Derechos Digitales originally published in Spanish, translated by Silvia Viñas [2].
It is no exaggeration to say that Wikipedia has revolutionized the way we create and access information, showing a sustainable and collaborative model of intellectual work and of understanding of phenomena such as intellectual property. This platform has managed to make us all connect to knowledge differently, and it has also jeopardized closed models of access to knowledge.
In this recent interview from the #NotemasaInternet [3] (Don’t fear the Internet) campaign on online copyright, we talked to Osmar Valdebenito, president of Wikimedia [4] Argentina (and former president of the Chilean chapter), a foundation that coordinates and makes the infrastructure of Wikipedia possible worldwide. We spoke with Osmar about how Wikimedia works, but also about how online freedom of expression is fundamental for its development, and how initiatives that seek to be even more restrictive with online copyright (SOPA, PIPA, etc.) would make the existence of Wikipedia as we know it impossible.