Active Wikimedia editors in good standing are voting on a referendum measure that might put at least some of the media collective’s famous disagreements over images to rest. The referendum asks Wikimedians to decide whether to implement a system for readers to conceal pictures that they would prefer not to view, via preference settings.
The object of this measure is to further what Wikimedia participants call the "principle of least astonishment, or least surprise" for users. But under the referendum proposal, these potentially upsetting pictures would not be deleted. They would simply require further clicking to view, an option that a Wikimedia report calls "shuttering."
Some images, such as those depicting genitals, sexual practices, or mass death and disfigurement, "will inevitably still have the power to disturb some viewers, especially if they are children, or if they are happened upon unintentionally," the referendum page notes. "The point of the opt-in personal image hiding feature is to help alleviate that surprise and dismay, by making the images unavailable for viewing without a second command."
via Ars Technica – Wikipedia editors voting on plan to “shutter” violent and sexual images. Not a bad plan, it’s a reasonable balance between still providing a visual representation of whatever and making it easier for people who don’t want to be “shocked” at the sight of the image.