Italian Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
The Italian Wikipedia is the Italian-language
edition of Wikipedia
. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of 2011 it has over articles and more than registered accounts. It is the 4th-largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles (after the English
, German
, and French
editions).
and Portuguese
language editions, becoming the 8th largest edition by article count. The primary reason for the rapid leap from 56,000 to 64,000 articles was an automated bot
which created stub articles on more than 8,000 municipalities of Spain
in an operation dubbed "Comuni spagnoli".
On September 8, 2005, the Italian Wikipedia overtook the Dutch Wikipedia
and one day later, on September 9, it passed 100,000 articles. On September 11, it overtook the Swedish Wikipedia
, becoming the fifth-largest language edition. Again, automated scripts contributed heavily to the growth. For instance, a bot created more than 35,000 articles on municipalities of France
. However, it was overtaken by the Polish edition
on September 23, 2005.
In 2009 the Italian Wikipedia was awarded the Premiolino
, the oldest and most prestigious Italian journalism prize, in the new media category.
On June 22, 2010, it passed 700,000 articles (Robie House – 700,000th article). On September 28, 2010, the Italian Wikipedia overtook the Polish Wikipedia, becoming the 4th largest edition, though in October 2010 the numbers on both Wikipedias were very close, and as of 2011 the Polish Wikipedia is in the lead again.
On May 12, 2011, it passed 800,000 articles. In the same day, it overtook the Polish Wikipedia.
(Wiretapping Bill) which was being debated at the time in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian parliament.
The proposed bill would empower anyone who believes themselves to have been offended by the content of a web site, even if the content is true, to enforce publication of a reply in the same place and with equal prominence of the related content, within 48 hours and without any prior evaluation of the claim by a judge. If after 48 hours the reply hadn't been published, the person requesting the reply may eventually appeal to a civil court which would assess the request and evaluate the disputed content. The sanction would be a fine between 9,500 and 12,000 euros. Should the bill pass, it is thought likely to inflict severe limitations on the "horizontal" freedom of access and editing that is common to Wikimedia projects.
This was the first time that a Wikipedia had blanked all its content to protest. The Wikimedia Foundation
officially supported the decision of the Italian Wikipedia by a statement released the same day. the manifesto, which replaced the Italian Wikipedia, had been viewed approximately 8 million times. On October 6, 2011, the website content was restored, with a banner across the top of each page explaining the reason for the protest.
Italian newspaper Il Tempo
journalist Alberto Di Majo described the closure of the Italian-language Wikipedia as an "unexpected merit" of the Wiretapping Bill.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
edition of Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of 2011 it has over articles and more than registered accounts. It is the 4th-largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles (after the English
English Wikipedia
The English Wikipedia is the English-language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Founded on 15 January 2001 and reaching three million articles by August 2009, it was the first edition of Wikipedia and remains the largest, with almost three times as many articles as the next...
, German
German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and mostly publicly editable online encyclopedia.Founded in March 2001, it is the second-oldest and, with over articles, the second-largest edition of Wikipedia, behind the English Wikipedia...
, and French
French Wikipedia
The French Wikipedia is the French language edition of Wikipedia, spelt Wikipédia. This edition was started in March 2001, and has about articles as of , making it the third-largest Wikipedia overall, after the English-language and German-language editions...
editions).
History
In August 2005 the Italian Wikipedia overtook the SpanishSpanish Wikipedia
The Spanish Wikipedia is a Spanish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, online encyclopedia. It currently has articles. Started in May 2001, it reached 100,000 articles on March 8, 2006. Currently, it is the 6th largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles, having surpassed Polish...
and Portuguese
Portuguese Wikipedia
The Portuguese Wikipedia is a Portuguese language edition of Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia. It was the fifth edition of Wikipedia, started in June 2001. It is currently the tenth largest Wikipedia by article count, containing articles.From late 2004, the edition grew rapidly...
language editions, becoming the 8th largest edition by article count. The primary reason for the rapid leap from 56,000 to 64,000 articles was an automated bot
Internet bot
Internet bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone...
which created stub articles on more than 8,000 municipalities of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in an operation dubbed "Comuni spagnoli".
On September 8, 2005, the Italian Wikipedia overtook the Dutch Wikipedia
Dutch Wikipedia
The Dutch Wikipedia is the Dutch-language edition of the free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. As of November 2011, the Dutch Wikipedia is the fourth-largest Wikipedia edition, with over articles.-History:...
and one day later, on September 9, it passed 100,000 articles. On September 11, it overtook the Swedish Wikipedia
Swedish Wikipedia
The Swedish Wikipedia is the Swedish language edition of Wikipedia. It was the third edition of Wikipedia, started in May 2001 alongside German Wikipedia, after English Wikipedia and Catalan Wikipedia...
, becoming the fifth-largest language edition. Again, automated scripts contributed heavily to the growth. For instance, a bot created more than 35,000 articles on municipalities of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, it was overtaken by the Polish edition
Polish Wikipedia
Polish Wikipedia is the Polish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. The ninth-oldest edition of Wikipedia, it was started on September 26, 2001. With about articles, it is the seventh-largest Wikipedia edition, after the English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish...
on September 23, 2005.
In 2009 the Italian Wikipedia was awarded the Premiolino
Premiolino
The Premiolino is the oldestand one of the most importantItalian journalism award. It is made annually to six journalists from print media and television for their career achievements and their contributions to the freedom of the press.- History :...
, the oldest and most prestigious Italian journalism prize, in the new media category.
On June 22, 2010, it passed 700,000 articles (Robie House – 700,000th article). On September 28, 2010, the Italian Wikipedia overtook the Polish Wikipedia, becoming the 4th largest edition, though in October 2010 the numbers on both Wikipedias were very close, and as of 2011 the Polish Wikipedia is in the lead again.
On May 12, 2011, it passed 800,000 articles. In the same day, it overtook the Polish Wikipedia.
2011 mass blanking protest
From October 4 to October 6, 2011, following a decision adopted by volunteers of the Italian Wikipedia community, all of the site's articles were hidden and the website was blocked by its administrators, as a protest against paragraph 29 of the DDL intercettazioniDDL intercettazioni
DDL Intercettazioni or the Wiretapping Act is a piece of legislation put before the Italian Parliament in 2008.-Background:The Max Planck Institute calculated that in 2006, a higher proportion of Italians had had their phones tapped than citizens of any other European country...
(Wiretapping Bill) which was being debated at the time in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian parliament.
The proposed bill would empower anyone who believes themselves to have been offended by the content of a web site, even if the content is true, to enforce publication of a reply in the same place and with equal prominence of the related content, within 48 hours and without any prior evaluation of the claim by a judge. If after 48 hours the reply hadn't been published, the person requesting the reply may eventually appeal to a civil court which would assess the request and evaluate the disputed content. The sanction would be a fine between 9,500 and 12,000 euros. Should the bill pass, it is thought likely to inflict severe limitations on the "horizontal" freedom of access and editing that is common to Wikimedia projects.
This was the first time that a Wikipedia had blanked all its content to protest. The Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
officially supported the decision of the Italian Wikipedia by a statement released the same day. the manifesto, which replaced the Italian Wikipedia, had been viewed approximately 8 million times. On October 6, 2011, the website content was restored, with a banner across the top of each page explaining the reason for the protest.
Italian newspaper Il Tempo
Il Tempo
Il Tempo is a daily Italian newspaper. It was founded in Rome, Italy by Renato Angiolillo in 1944 and currently publishes the Rome edition and other five local editions ....
journalist Alberto Di Majo described the closure of the Italian-language Wikipedia as an "unexpected merit" of the Wiretapping Bill.