User:Szmenderowiecki/sandbox/Disclaimers

Definitions

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia summarising human knowledge. It is available online on wikipedia.org.
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) is the legal entity responsible for Wikipedia.
We (the Wikipedia community) are a group of volunteers working to develop Wikipedia. This group includes regular editors, administrators or others in any way connected with Wikipedia or sister projects owned by WMF.
A volunteer, a contributor, an editor or a licensor is a member of the Wikipedia community.
You are the user of Wikipedia - a reader, a volunteer, a person who wants to use Wikipedia contents outside the website, or a donor to WMF.

Wikipedia makes no guarantee of validity

Most volunteers do try to make Wikipedia complete, accurate, and reliable. Indeed, you will usually find valuable and accurate information on this website. Our rules are designed to reach this goal. Anyone can become a volunteer if they have the technical tools to view and edit Wikipedia. In general, editors do not have restrictions on what and where to edit and do not need to ask for permission to edit.

A side effect of this openness is that anyone may introduce bad quality content at any time. This usually happens by mistake despite good intentions. However, there are editors who deliberately break our rules for reasons unrelated to making Wikipedia better. Some even vandalise the project (do not do that). We can only sanction them and undo their edits after the fact.

For above reasons, we cannot guarantee that any of Wikipedia content you see will be a complete, accurate, precise, reliable or impartial summary of the current state of knowledge.

Each contributor is responsible for providing appropriate good-quality proof for the content they introduce. However, even if an article has uncited, inaccurate, or libellous information, there is no entity in any way connected to Wikipedia that is responsible for the final appearance of the article.

There is no formal peer review

We monitor recent changes and newly created pages feeds. However, any peer review process, changes to Wikipedia, and enforcement of its internal rules, is done by volunteer editors only. Editors are usually NOT subject-matter experts in the areas they edit. Wikipedia is also a work in progress. All of this means that, despite our best efforts:

articles may have inaccurate, imprecise, unduly biased, unreliable, irrelevant information, or text that otherwise breaches Wikipedia's content rules;
articles may have gaps, require cleanup
articles may require updating because the information is old, no longer true or there is new relevant information;
other volunteers may not have reviewed a given article at all, even if it is live;
even if they did, they may have missed any issues with the article (see above);
even if they did notice issues, they probably should, but are never required to commit their time or resources to fix these problems. No volunteer has a legal duty to edit Wikipedia, and neither does the Wikipedia community at large.

Therefore, there is no implied warranty of fitness for any purpose or use. This applies to any Wikipedia content, even if it has previously undergone enhanced checks (e.g. peer reviews or good or featured article processes).

Readers and registered users alike are always welcome to help us fix problematic content. See this help directory if you do not know how.

Wikipedia coverage reflects the interests of its community

We have rules about what topics deserve Wikipedia articles. We also should base articles on good published sources. We cannot guarantee that any given article will comply with our notability guidelines, but we try out best. Even if the article does comply with these rules, its existence or its size generally reflects what editors are interested in. This is not necessarily the same as how much the topic is actually important. Volunteers do, however, maintain a list of very important topics. They also assign grades to articles based on how important the topic is to a given field of knowledge. You may find these useful.

Wikipedia may contain objectionable material

Wikipedia contains millions of articles on a vast array of topics. Some are often censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental, and other filtering schemes. You are warned that:

Wikipedia contains text or media which may be considered disturbing, objectionable or offensive. For example, some articles discuss and contain profanity, graphic depictions of violence, human anatomy or sexual acts. There is also material that certain cultures or religions deem sensitive, prohibited or taboo.
Many articles contain frank discussion of controversial topics. The Wikipedia community closely monitors articles that fall under any of the topics we deem contentious.
Some topics contain details about unethical or criminal behaviour. Others have information on dangerous or otherwise risky activities.
Wikipedia contains spoilers.
Wikipedia articles may contain triggers for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy and other medical conditions.

Wikipedia's policy is to include such content if it makes the article more informative, relevant, or accurate, without any censorship. The only cases when this is not true are specific exceptions in other Wikipedia's rules, or materials banned under the laws of the United States, where Wikipedia is hosted.

Wikipedia neither offers nor substitutes professional advice

In some cases, articles have content that may also be subject to recommendations by professionals. This includes topics such as health, law, finances, marital matters, or risk management.

Wikipedia's information on these topics is at best of a general nature. We cannot guarantee that it will be accurate, complete, precise, reliable or up-to-date. People who write articles on Wikipedia are very often NOT subject-matter experts in the areas they choose to edit.

If you have a real-life problem, go to professionals who are licensed or knowledgeable in the area to solve your issues. Wikipedia will never substitute their advice.

Wikipedia does not give legal advice

Wikipedia's coverage of legal topics may be inaccurate. Laws, legal interpretations and case law may change over time, be overturned or abolished. That's why you should never assume that what you see right now on Wikipedia reflects the current state of law or legal practice. Even if information is accurate and up-to-date, it will only reflect laws of the described jurisdiction, which may not apply in other places.

Wikipedia is not a lawyer. Wikipedia does not practice law and it does not offer legal opinions. Therefore, we cannot help you with your particular dispute, court case or administrative proceeding. Please contact a lawyer, notary or other trained legal professional. Associations of jurists in your area (e.g. bar associations or law societies) will often help you find one.

Some jurisdictions provide legal aid for people who cannot afford a lawyer. Check the laws of your area to see if you are eligible and what cases they can help you with.

Wikipedia does not give medical advice

Wikipedia's coverage of health topics may be inaccurate. It may become outdated as new evidence appears, new treatments are discovered or invented, and as medical guidelines change. Even if a statement made about some medical issue is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms.

Wikipedia is not a doctor. Wikipedia does not practice medicine and it does not offer medical opinions. Never self-diagnose or self-medicate based on information you see on Wikipedia. If you have a medical issue, contact your medical professional (a qualified physician, nurse, pharmacist etc.) instead.

If their services or medication require out-of-pocket costs you cannot afford, charities, free clinics, community health centres or similar institutions may provide low-cost or free healthcare. Some areas have welfare programs for disadvantaged people or for people with disabilities that can help cover the expenses. Check if you are eligible for any such help.

Wikipedia does not give investment advice

Wikipedia's coverage of finance topics may be inaccurate. Over time, the country's laws, economic or political situation may change drastically. Therefore, never assume that any information on government assistance, welfare programs, retirement or healthcare plans, as well as tax rates, deductions, credits and exemptions that you see on Wikipedia is up-to-date. Such information, even if accurate, may not apply to you or in your area. Consult government resources for details about their programs. Carefully read any contracts you sign and make sure you understand what they mean for you.

You should not rely on Wikipedia to make decisions about your money, your property or your business. We are not meant to, nor purport to, tell which investments are worthwhile, how much money you are going to gain/lose, how much risk your investment carries or what your investment portfolio should look like. Wikipedia may describe performance of financial instruments, such as stocks, bonds and precious metals, but past success does not promise future gains.

We cannot help you file taxes or give advice on lowering your tax burden. Investment climate in your area may change drastically, so we cannot say if your business plan is viable.

Wikipedia has articles that may describe certain predictions. However, we are not meant to be a website for predictions or speculations and we do not endorse any forecast. Do not rely on Wikipedia for planning your or your business's future.

Consult a professional financial advisor if you need personalised answers about your investments. Reach out to a trained tax advisor and/or accountant for information about your taxes, social security and other obligations. Ask a lawyer for legal advice about these topics. There may be good financial literacy materials out there, but neither we nor the Wikimedia Foundation endorse any.

Other legal considerations

There is no contract other than the license

Information on Wikipedia is provided freely (both as in beer and as in freedom). No kind of agreement or contract is created simply by reading Wikipedia. That's why there are no contractual claims to be enforced. The only agreements that bind you are the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). These apply if you choose to use Wikipedia in any way beyond simply reading it. Any liabilities of the licensors (volunteers) are limited only to the terms of these licences, to the fullest extent allowed by law.

For volunteers: there is no such thing as a right for your edit to Wikipedia or its sister projects to stay unchanged, or to stay at all.

Respect intellectual property

Wikipedia mentions, uses and cites trademarks, service marks, collective marks, design rights, or similar rights. This is done to cover topics in an encyclopedic manner. You may only use them for the same or a similar informational use as intended by the original licensors.

Intellectual property covered on Wikipedia remains the property of its respective owners. Unless specifically stated otherwise, these rights holders are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, any Wikimedia Foundation sites. This means that Wikipedia cannot grant any rights to use any otherwise protected materials.

If you suspect that someone's copyright is being violated, refer to instructions at Wikipedia:Copyright problems.

Respect personality rights

Some Wikipedia articles contain media files (e.g. images or videos) that portray an identifiable person who is alive or has recently died. Some jurisdictions have a notion of personality rights (which is distinct from copyright). These laws may restrict usage of media featuring these individuals. If you want to use these files on Wikipedia, make sure that your intended use case is lawful.

Wikipedia content may be illegal in your jurisdiction

Wikipedia's content and/or its republication may be illegal in the area you are now. The Wikipedia database is stored on servers in the United States, which means that federal, state and local laws of that country apply. Laws in your jurisdiction may not protect or allow the same kinds of speech or distribution. Wikipedia does not encourage breaking any laws.

Surveys

The Wikimedia Foundation may organise surveys. By participating in a survey, you consent to the transfer of the information you submit to WMF, including, but not limited to, the United States. The Foundation collects it for internal research purposes only and will not publicly associate it with your account. However, WMF may share the results of surveys with the public in anonymized or aggregated forms.

For full information on how the Wikimedia Foundation manages your data, refer to the Privacy Policy. It is always available at the bottom footer of every Wikipedia page.

No additional disclaimers

Disclaimers are always available to you. By default, on desktop versions, they appear at the bottom footer of each page. On mobile devices, they are hidden behind the hamburger button in the top left corner of the screen. Turn off content filtering software (e.g. uBlock Origin) if you cannot see them.

We do not have to, nor will we, post any additional warnings about issues raised on this page.

Use Wikipedia at your own risk

Double-check the information posted on Wikipedia

Wikipedia does not guarantee that its content will be complete, accurate, precise, reliable or up-to-date. Our peer review process is informal. Even though it is designed to catch errors, it will not always succeed. There is no legal duty for any volunteer, or for the Wikipedia community, to engage in it. Even if our rules require that volunteers provide sources for article text, some edits will introduce text without citing sources. It could also be that the text is not backed up by the cited source and no one has noticed this yet.

For these reasons, do not rely on Wikipedia content without independent verification. Double-check the text with the article's references and sources that did not make into the article (we have guidance for determining if a source is useful that you might find helpful). Besides, read the article's talk page and revision history to see if there are outstanding disputes over the contents of the article. If the article has warnings ("tags") about quality issues, proceed with extra caution.

Only you are responsible for how you use Wikipedia

There are articles about risky, dangerous, illegal, or unethical activities. Just because you read about them on Wikipedia does not mean you need to or should promote or participate in any of these activities. The volunteers may not be qualified to inform you about adequate safety precautions and other measures to prevent injury, or other damage to your person, property, or reputation. You have to figure those out yourself, or talk to a professional licensed or knowledgeable in that area.

At any time you reuse or copy Wikipedia content, you must comply with license terms. You must make sure that your use is legal, and does not infringe on others' intellectual property, personality rights, or other rights. Reposting defamatory content from Wikipedia may also make you liable for libel even if you were not its original author.

We provide Wikipedia content to you on an "as is" basis. You assume all risks from applying information you read from Wikipedia elsewhere. If you experienced harm while doing so, no Wikipedia-related entity shall be held liable.

Similar disclaimers on news outlets and other encyclopedias

The following is provided for informational purposes only to point out typical disclaimers in what we generally consider reliable outlets. They are broadly comparable to the disclaimer here. Information provided as of 31 December 2025.