Scoop: Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors
forward.com
The conservative think tank told prospective donors that the project was part of its work to combat antisemitism.

Summary

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, plans to use facial recognition and hacked data to identify Wikipedia editors it alleges are promoting antisemitism, according to leaked documents.

The group’s proposed tactics include fake accounts and tracking links, raising privacy concerns among Wikipedia contributors.

This effort, part of Heritage’s Project Esther, follows controversies over Wikipedia’s handling of Israel-related topics, such as labeling the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “unreliable.”

Critics warn this campaign to target editors could violate Wikipedia’s rules and escalate tensions over bias accusations.

  • FundMECFSResearch
    22·
    1 day ago

    This is why it pisses me off wikipedia makes it impossible to edit using most VPNs or TOR.

    Like I understand there is a spam problem, but lots of people don’t feel safe (or straight up can’t) edit using their normal IP.

    • ray@lemmy.mlEnglish
      12·
      1 day ago

      What solution would you propose? I assume the main problem is that it supposedly limits Wikipedia’s ability to ban people that would otherwise just make another account? Maybe they could limit VPN editing to accounts with 500 edits or whatever.

      In any case now seems like a great time to prod them to reconsider this policy.

      • FundMECFSResearch
        9·
        1 day ago

        I would propose you be allowed to create a new account using a VPN or TOR, and to prevent abuse, your first 5 edits are vetted before they are accepted and only after 5 accepted edits you get the privileges of a normal wikipedia account.(current policy is that everyone has editing priviledges without vetting, but VPN and TOR IP’s are blocked).

        Also I think it’s ridiculous that an already established account can get banned from wikipedia if they did nothing wrong except make a wikipedia edit using TOR.

        The main problem with TOR on wikipedia before it was banned was that people would make vandalism bots that created immense spam and avoided being IP blocked by using TOR. IMO the “pending edits” function would make an account like that basically a non-problem.

      • FundMECFSResearch
        1·
        1 day ago

        Temporary accounts is just your IP. But it’s blocked on TOR and VPN IPs. Just like normal accounts.

        • coronach@lemmy.sdf.org
          1·
          1 day ago

          Sure. I wasn’t sure if you were still thinking that guest edits still showed your IP. Automatic temp accounts was only recently implemented, IIRC.