Wikipedia's Future Hangs in Balance as It Fights for Independence
Wikipedia, the world's sixth most visited website, faces financial challenges that could threaten its independence. Its future, and that of the internet, hinges on resisting authoritarianism and creating an alternative to the current digital ad system.
Wikipedia's scale and institutional strength make it a key player in this fight. Its ability to shield newsrooms from ad money spans decades, a feat even Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, acknowledged in their early discussions of Google. They predicted ad-funded search engines would be biased towards advertisers, not consumers.
To lead this change, Wikipedia could pioneer a global ad infrastructure operating in the public interest. This could redirect funds towards projects serving the public good. Despite not having founded institutions specifically for this purpose, Robin Berjon, Principal at Supramundane Agency and Deputy Director of the IPFS Foundation, could contribute to this vision. With Wikipedia consistently ranking among the top ten most visited sites, it has the reach and influence to build and support the necessary technologies and processes for a privacy-first, publisher-first ad online system.
Wikipedia's future, and that of the internet, depends on its ability to resist threats and create a better digital ad system. With its scale, institutional strength, and public interest focus, Wikipedia is well-positioned to lead this change, potentially redirecting funds towards projects that serve the public good.
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