Ed Martin, who served as a Provisional Prosecutor’s Office in the US capital region, reunited the discussions on Wikipedia with a letter sent to the Wikimedia Foundation. Martin claimed that the platform did not operate in accordance with the tax exemption status. He tried to strengthen this claim based on Article 501 (C) (3) of the US Tax Law. In addition to all these, Wikipedia’s claim that foreign actors opened the door to propaganda activities was brought to the agenda.
Martin did not only leave his claims in the general framework; He went down to the details. According to the prosecutor appointed by Donald Trump; Wikipedia has become a platform that can mislead the public by rewriting historical events. However, he also claimed that external interventions could not be prevented on the site. In spite of everything, the Wikimedia Foundation’s answers on the issue drew attention.
Wikipedia has been the target of the right circles for a while in the USA
Jacob Rogers, Assistant General Advisor of the Wikimedia Foundation, responded to the debate with a written statement. Rogers said that Wikipedia’s fundamental principles are the neutral perspective, verifying and original research. In addition, the content control was carried out by approximately 260 thousand volunteer editors. He added that everyone can participate in the audit thanks to the fact that the process is clear and transparent.
Ed Martin’s letter is also considered as part of a broader political tendency. In particular, the right -wing groups have recently increased criticism of Wikipedia. For example, Elon Musk’s statements last year can be shown. Musk called on his supporters, “Do not donate to Wokeptia”.
However, the pressures on Wikipedia were not limited to criticism. According to a report published by Forward.com, Heritage Foundation has carried out targeted work for Wikipedia editors. The report included details of the plans to influence the content production processes of the editors. However, he took new steps to protect the Wikimedia Foundation editors.
Maryana Iskander, CEO of Wikimedia Foundation, informed the community against these threats. Iskander, regulatory pressures and threats of the world in the world has increased gradually said. In addition, he explained that the editors have developed new tools to protect their identity. In this way, voluntary editors are aimed to work in a safer environment.
On the other hand, it is known that Ed Martin has made similar threats against media organizations in the past. The claims of the New England Journal of Medicine, Chest Journal and Obstetrics and Gynecology can be shown as an example. Martin accused these organizations of being biased in scientific debates. But so far, these claims are not a serious legal result.
Although Wikipedia’s open structure causes security deficits from time to time, it is considered important for the democratization of access to information. However, the platform is trying to take various measures to protect itself better against all kinds of external intervention. New tools and policies developed are considered as an important part of this struggle. In addition to all these, the impact of the political pressures on the future of the platform has already begun to be discussed.