French intelligence wants Wikipedia to delete online content
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Deutsch: [Französischer Geheimdienst verlangt Löschung eines Wikipedia-Artikels | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.7_Franzoesischer_Geheimdienst_verlangt_Loeschung_eines_Wikipedia-Artikels?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130410]
The Wikimedia Foundation was asked on 4 March 2013, by French spy agency
Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur (DCRI), to remove its
article in French “Station hertzienne militaire de Pierre sur Haute”
(the military station of Pierre sur Haute) considered by the agency to
contain classified military information the publication of which
violated the French Penal Code.
According to a judicial source quoted by AFP, the request for the
deletion of the article was due to the fact that the French-language
Wikipedia article was deemed by DCRI to have compromised “classified
material related to the nuclear firing orders chain of transmission”.
Wikipedia refused to delete the article which had been online for almost
4 years already without having raise any such problems, and which
contained information already well and publicly known, so much the more
as the agency did not bring any arguments for its request, nor did it
indicate exactly what part of the information was considered classified.
Actually, it seems that a large part of the information comes from a
publicly available video in which Major Jeansac, the chief of the
respective military, gives a detailed interview and a tour of the
station for a reporter.
As a result of Wikipedia’s refusal, on 30 March 2013, the agency
contacted a random volunteer Wikipedia admin that was living in France
and forced him, by threatening him with jail, to delete the respective
article, although the volunteer had had nothing to do with the article.
This extra-judicial action raises serious concerns regarding the respect
of the human rights by the intelligence agency.
“While we have never received a request of this nature from the DCRI
before, it is unfortunately not unheard of for governmental entities to
contact, or even harass, local users. The Foundation strongly opposes
any governmental attempts to intimidate the volunteers who dedicate
their time and energy to build one of the world’s great educational
resources that everyone can freely share in. We are saddened and
disappointed to discover that the DCRI believes the tactics they
employed in the name of security in this matter could be acceptable
under any moral or legal authority. The Foundation was, and remains,
willing to work with the DCRI to resolve this matter if possible, but we
cannot condone any harassment of individuals who have done nothing
wrong,” was Wikipedia’s statement.
The article was restored by other volunteers and there is now an English
article with the same subject. The entire affair has resulted in a
dramatic increase of the number of views for the respective article.
Thus, DCRI has obtained the exact reverse effect of what it wanted.
French spies demand removal of a Wikipedia entry, threaten random
Wikipedia admin in France when they don’t get their way (7.04.2013)
Wikimedia Foundation elaborates on recent demand by French governmental
agency to remove Wikipedia content. (8.04.2013)
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Statement_on_France
DCRI intimidates a Wikipédia administrator due to an article (only in
French, 6.04.2013)
À lire sur Numerama : La DCRI intimide un administrateur de Wikipédia à cause d’un article
La Quadrature du Net condemns the pressure made by DCRI on a Wikimedia
France responsible (only in French, 7.04.2013)
http://www.laquadrature.net/node/6533
Military Hertzien station of Pierre-sur-Haute (only in French)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_hertzienne_militaire_de_Pierre-sur-Haute