Defending the knowledge commons: policies for a resilient Wikimedia
Digital sovereignty has risen to the top of policy debates in Europe, and around the world. There is growing interest in Digital Commons as a pathway to sovereignty that centres public value and participation. In this context, calls for sustained public funding of critical digital infrastructure have gained real traction — yet the conversation has largely focused on open source software.
Yet Digital Commons are a much broader concept, and Wikipedia stands as a paradigmatic example of foundational knowledge infrastructure that is collectively produced and stewarded. At the same time, it faces mounting pressures: Generative AI has intensified questions of sustainable appropriation; coordinated, well-resourced threats to information integrity are growing in scale and sophistication; and long-standing questions of representation remain unresolved: whose knowledge is reflected in Wikipedia, and whose is absent?
At a moment when policymakers are mobilising around the resilience and reliability of essential digital infrastructure, knowledge infrastructure such as Wikipedia also deserves focus.
This panel brings together voices from the Wikipedia community, partners from civil society and policy experts to explore: How should Digital Commons like Wikipedia be positioned in the digital sovereignty conversation? How can the community engage strategically around questions of reliability, equity, and plurality. What kind of public policies could support Wikipedia and the broader knowledge commons?
