Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, denied claims that the Saudi government infiltrated its team in the Middle East. This statement comes after two international human rights groups, Smex and Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), accused the Saudi government of using agents to act as independent editors on Wikipedia in order to “control information about the country”.
According to a report from BBC, Smex and Dawn alleged that two “high-ranking administrators in Saudi Arabia” were arrested in September 2020 and charged with “swaying public opinion” and “violating public morals”. They were sentenced to five and eight years in prison, the groups said. In response, the Wikimedia Foundation carried out its own investigation and suspended 16 users for “conflict of interest” editing in the Middle East.
However, the Wikimedia Foundation stated that no evidence of Saudi infiltration was found, but did admit that “material inaccuracies” had been published. Wikipedia relies on teams of volunteer administrators and editors for its content. The Wikimedia Foundation stated that some users “who may have been Saudi” were among those banned, but it is “unlikely to be the case” that they were serving as agents for the government to “promote positive content about the government and delete content critical of the government”.
As of yet, Saudi authorities have not commented on the claims. The Chenab Times will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
