Uzbek Wikipedia
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Screenshot  The homepage of the Uzbek Wikipedia. | |
| Web address | uz.wikipedia.org |
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| Commercial? | Charitable |
| Type of site | Internet encyclopedia project |
| Registration | Optional |
| Available language(s) | Uzbek |
| Content license | Creative Commons ShareAlike License 3.0 |
| Owner | Wikimedia Foundation |
The Uzbek Wikipedia (Uzbek: Oʻzbekcha Vikipediya in Latin script, Ўзбекча Википедия in Cyrillic script) is the Uzbek-language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. It was founded in December 2003. Articles in the Uzbek-language edition are written using the Latin script. In August 2012, a Latin-Cyrillic script converter was added to allow users to view pages in both the Latin and Cyrillic scripts.
The Uzbek Wikipedia is currently blocked in Uzbekistan.[1][2][3] While the reasons for the blockage are undisclosed, some believe that the site has been blocked because the Uzbek government is concerned about the appearance of articles critical of its actions.[4] Others have speculated that the Uzbek Wikipedia has been blocked simply as an "act of showmanship" because the government of Uzbekistan sees Uzbek-language content as subject to its jurisdiction.[5] The blockage is not very robust: currently the pages of the Uzbek Wikipedia can be accessed on an HTTPS connection.[6]
Although Uzbekistan has almost 9 million Internet users,[7] there are not many active editors in the Uzbek Wikipedia and the existing articles are often poorly sourced.[4] Since early 2012, however, both the number of active users and well-written articles have increased noticeably. Lately the Uzbek Wikipedia has been gaining more and more visits. In early 2013, the Uzbek-language Wikipedia ranked first among different editions of Wikipedia in terms of annual page-view growth.[8] The current number of articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia is 127,374.
Policies
Script
While articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia are written using the Latin script, historically the Uzbek language has used many different alphabets. Before 1928, Uzbek was written in an Arabic-based alphabet by the literate population. Between 1928 and 1940, it was written in a Latin alphabet which was different from the Latin alphabet that is used today. Starting from 1940, Uzbek began to be written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which remained the predominant form of writing until 1993.
A new Latin alphabet was introduced to Uzbek after Uzbekistan gained independence from the USSR. Currently the Latin script is used in school and university textbooks, newspapers, and in some official papers in Uzbekistan. Since 2004 some official websites have switched over to using the Latin script when writing in Uzbek. However, the use of Cyrillic is still widespread, especially among older Uzbeks and among Uzbeks who live in other countries.
Currently the Uzbek Wikipedia has a function ("vikifikator", literally "wikifier") which allows editors to easily convert Cyrillic text into Latin while editing. In August 2012, a Latin-Cyrillic script converter was added to allow users to view pages in both the Latin and Cyrillic scripts.
Other policies
Whereas in the English Wikipedia autoconfirmed status is required to move pages, edit semi-protected pages, and upload files, in the Uzbek edition these actions are not restricted. At the moment there are only eight administrators in the Uzbek Wikipedia, three of whom are no longer active.
Content
The Uzbek Wikipedia lacks articles on contemporary political life in Uzbekistan.[5] The majority of the articles created by users are about entertainment and sports. However, in 2012 the Uzbek Wikipedia started to grow fast despite being blocked in Uzbekistan and the number of well-written articles on important subjects has increased significantly. Currently the most comprehensive articles are entries about stars, philosophy, the Republic of Korea, Tehran, Aleppo, Karabulak, Encyclopædia Britannica, Ali-Shir Nava'i, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the British Empire.
The number of articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia reached 10,000 on June 5, 2012.[9] The 10,000th article was on compass. A month later, on July 5, 2012, the Uzbek Wikipedia's article count reached 20,000.[10] This was done due to bot-made edits to drag attention to the blockage of the website.[10] The Uzbek Wikipedia reached 50,000 articles on November 8, 2012. The 50,000th article was on quadratic equations. The Uzbek Wikipedia reached 100,000 articles on March 20, 2013. The 100,000th article was on labor force. The current number of entries in the Uzbek Wikipedia is 127,374.
Censorship
Internet censorship is widespread in Uzbekistan. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country as one of the most authoritarian states in the world towards journalism.[1][11] According to the OpenNet Initiative, Uzbekistan has the "most pervasive regime of filtering and censorship" in the Commonwealth of Independent States.[12] Authorities block not only website content, but also monitor the Internet access of individuals. Subjects that are censored include the Andijan massacre, criticisms of the Government of Uzbekistan, forced labor of children in cotton fields, forced sterilization of women, human rights and the social situation, information on the actual state of the Uzbek economy, president Islam Karimov’s and his daughters’ personal lives, the Uzbek population’s impoverishment, and social unrest.[11]
The entire Wikipedia has been briefly blocked twice in Uzbekistan, in 2007 and 2008. The Uzbek Wikipedia was blocked in Uzbekistan sometime in late September/early October 2011, but caught the attention of the international press only in late February 2012 following RFE/RL's report about the blockage on February 16, 2012.[3] Internet users in Uzbekistan trying to access Uzbek-language pages get redirected to msn.com of Microsoft. Users in Uzbekistan can easily open Wikipedia articles in other languages, only Uzbek-language articles have been blocked.[2]
The blockage is not very robust: currently the articles in the Uzbek-language Wikipedia can be accessed on an HTTPS connection. Therefore Google has started indexing articles on the Uzbek Wikipedia with HTTPS by default.
A mirror of the Uzbek Wikipedia was set up at wiki.zn.uz in 2008. The mirror was created to reduce international traffic for Internet users in Uzbekistan. It has been down since June 2012.
Statistics
As of February 13, 2014, there are 15,512 users on the Uzbek Wikipedia, 96 of whom have made an edit in the last 30 days. At the moment only 8 users have administrator rights. The current number of total edits in the Uzbek-language Wikipedia is 2,264,857. The total number of articles is 127,374.
| Articles[14] | Date |
|---|---|
| 100 | January 15, 2006 |
| 500 | May 24, 2006 |
| 1000 | May 28, 2006 |
| 10 000 | June 5, 2012 |
| 20 000 | July 5, 2012 |
| 30 000 | July 31, 2012 |
| 40 000 | August 27, 2012 |
| 50 000 | November 8, 2012 |
| 60 000 | November 29, 2012 |
| 70 000 | January 4, 2013 |
| 80 000 | February 13, 2013 |
| 90 000 | March 10, 2013 |
| 100 000 | March 20, 2013 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kilner, James (20 February 2012). "Uzbekistan blocks Wikipedia pages say witnesses". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Wikipedia Articles in Uzbek Blocked". RFE/RL. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Uzbek Wikipedia is Blocked in Uzbekistan". RFE/RL's Uzbek Service (in Uzbek). 16 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ataev, Nodir (17 February 2012). "Is Wikipedia Accurate?". RFE/RL's Uzbek Service (in Uzbek). Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kendzior, Sarah (21 February 2012). "Why Did Uzbekistan Ban Wikipedia?". Registan. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ↑ "Uzbek Wikipedia Reaches 50,000 Articles". Kun.uz (in Uzbek). 8 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ↑ "Uzbekistan Blocks Its Wikipedia". RIA Novosti. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ "Page Views for Wikipedia, All Platforms, Normalized". Wikimedia. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ↑ "The Number of Articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia Reaches 10,000". Kun (in Uzbek). 7 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Number of Articles in the Uzbek Wikipedia gains another 10,000 in a month". Kun (in Uzbek). 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Internet Enemies: Uzbekistan". Reporters without Borders. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ↑ "Attack Of The Cloned Websites...This Time In Uzbekistan". RFE/RL. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ Wikimedia Traffic Analysis Report - Page Edits Per Wikipedia Language, cited on 1 April 2013
- ↑ "Wikipedias by article-count milestone". Wikimedia. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
External links
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Uzbek edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
- Uzbek Wikipedia (Uzbek)
- Uzbek Wikipedia mobile version (Uzbek)
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