I was redirected today by wikipedia to this page. Unfortunately, due to vandalism from within Qatar, and because everyone's web traffic passes through the same proxy server, Wikipedia has blocked the entire country from posting.
They may not have *intended* to ban the whole of Qatar, but that's what they did. In fact, they've been building up to this for some time. If you look through the ban logs, wikipedia has banned qatar for a day or two at a time on several occassions. The difference is, this time the wikipedia admin banned qatar for a month. Although Jimbo Wales (the wikipedia founder) says that it was a temporary block for less than 12 hours, that's solely because of the stink caused by a slashdot front page. Here's part of the discussion that ensued among wikipedia admins:
I just want to point out that at the time the address was blocked, I had no idea that I was blocking an entire country. It was not even marked as a shared IP. Although there was a comment on the discussion page, the IP was not marked as shared and I did not read that comment to mean that this was the only ISP serving Qatar. Frankly, I am stunned that an entire country can get by with only one IP address, though I understand about proxies and the like. I would like to say that I will never do this again in the future but in all honesty, it is entirely possible that I will make similar mistakes in the future. Such is not my intention and I would never have blocked this address had I known it was shared (let alone that it was an entire nation). --Yamla 20:06, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
Heh. He says it's entirely possible that he'd make the same mistake again, but I don't think he'll be making it to Qatar. Lesson learnt, I believe.
If you came here from a news headline saying that Wikipedia has banned all of Qatar, please pop right back over there and post in the comments that the story is not true. This IP number was temporarily blocked for less than 12 hours, and a block of an entire nation would go absolutely against Wikipedia policy. In the English Wikipedia, such an action would require approval of at a minimum the English Arbitration Committee and/or me personally, and would never ever be undertaken lightly, nor without extensive attempts at direct negotiation with the ISP and/or nation in question.
To any and all reporters, from Slashdot, TechCrunch, mainstream media, etc.: You may email me and ask me for my personal cellphone number, which I will answer 24 hours a day to confirm or disconfirm any such story of this type. --Jimbo Wales 03:32, 2 January 2007 (UTC)
I got no problems with WIKIPEDIA. I'm using QTEL ISP. Probably someone has fat fingers.
Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands; because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.
Qatar's winter months are brimming with unmissable experiences, from the AFC Asian Cup 2023 to the World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024 and a variety of outdoor adventures and cultural delights.
Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a sweet escape into the world of budget-friendly Mango Sticky Rice that's sure to satisfy both your cravings and your budget!
Celebrate World Vegan Day with our list of vegan food outlets offering an array of delectable options, spanning from colorful salads to savory shawarma and indulgent desserts.
*Removed by Author*
better still create another similar one......
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6224677.stm
--
http://all-abroad.blogspot.com/
Come to think of it, you're right about it being blocked before. I once tried to edit an article on something and it said I was banned!
They may not have *intended* to ban the whole of Qatar, but that's what they did. In fact, they've been building up to this for some time. If you look through the ban logs, wikipedia has banned qatar for a day or two at a time on several occassions. The difference is, this time the wikipedia admin banned qatar for a month. Although Jimbo Wales (the wikipedia founder) says that it was a temporary block for less than 12 hours, that's solely because of the stink caused by a slashdot front page. Here's part of the discussion that ensued among wikipedia admins:
I just want to point out that at the time the address was blocked, I had no idea that I was blocking an entire country. It was not even marked as a shared IP. Although there was a comment on the discussion page, the IP was not marked as shared and I did not read that comment to mean that this was the only ISP serving Qatar. Frankly, I am stunned that an entire country can get by with only one IP address, though I understand about proxies and the like. I would like to say that I will never do this again in the future but in all honesty, it is entirely possible that I will make similar mistakes in the future. Such is not my intention and I would never have blocked this address had I known it was shared (let alone that it was an entire nation). --Yamla 20:06, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
Heh. He says it's entirely possible that he'd make the same mistake again, but I don't think he'll be making it to Qatar. Lesson learnt, I believe.
--
http://all-abroad.blogspot.com/
Here is a response from Jimbo Wales :
If you came here from a news headline saying that Wikipedia has banned all of Qatar, please pop right back over there and post in the comments that the story is not true. This IP number was temporarily blocked for less than 12 hours, and a block of an entire nation would go absolutely against Wikipedia policy. In the English Wikipedia, such an action would require approval of at a minimum the English Arbitration Committee and/or me personally, and would never ever be undertaken lightly, nor without extensive attempts at direct negotiation with the ISP and/or nation in question.
To any and all reporters, from Slashdot, TechCrunch, mainstream media, etc.: You may email me and ask me for my personal cellphone number, which I will answer 24 hours a day to confirm or disconfirm any such story of this type. --Jimbo Wales 03:32, 2 January 2007 (UTC)
a little publicity on slashdot's front page, and the site in unblocked
--
http://all-abroad.blogspot.com/
I got no problems with WIKIPEDIA. I'm using QTEL ISP. Probably someone has fat fingers.
Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands; because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.
Solomon Chapter 1, verses 12-13
I think if you create an account you will be able to contribute.
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/01/1248251
--
http://all-abroad.blogspot.com/
this is very sad and funny, though I can hardly believe it happened. Oh well.
Happy new year!