WMDE Engineering/Wikibase/Pingback Privacy Statement

This statement describes how and when Wikimedia collects, uses, and shares the information we receive from the Wikibase Pingback feature.

Purpose of Feature

This feature helps us to understand the usage of Wikibase by collecting which versions of MediaWiki are in use, on what platforms, and with which enabled Wikibase features and extensions.

What Information We Collect

The pingback anonymously tracks which version of MediaWiki is being used, along with the configured database type, PHP memory limit, and list of installed extensions. We also collect whether you have enabled certain Wikibase features (Federation and Termbox) and whether the Wikibase contains any entities (e.g. items or properties).

The feature also sends a unique ID with the data transmission, which is used to track upgrades made to wikis over time. In order to ensure that we are only counting live wikis, the pingback will repeat monthly, at which time it will gather updated information about each wiki's operation, such as memory limit, enabled features, and installed extensions.

How to Enable or Disable the Pingback

The Wikibase Pingback mechanism is disabled by default. To enable the Pingback, you must edit LocalSettings.php and set the wikibasePingback setting to true for your repository.

$wgWBRepoSettings['wikibasePingback'] = true;

If the user opts in, the Pingback will send new data on the first page load after enabling the feature and once a month thereafter. Users may choose to disable the pingback at any time by setting the wikibasePingback setting to false in LocalSettings.php. However, this will not delete any data that has already been transmitted to our servers.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Raw individual data collected from this feature will not be shared publicly, though aggregated, de-identified data may be made available. The raw data will be accessible to Wikimedia staff and contractors. Volunteers and researchers may apply for access, as well. Everyone who can access the data will be subject to non-disclosure obligations except for the circumstances described below.

We may disclose any collected information when required by law, when we have your permission, when needed to protect our rights, privacy, safety, users, or the general public, and when necessary to enforce our Terms of Use or any other Wikimedia policy