Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans

Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans

Wikipedia has suffered an "infiltration" that sought to advance the aims of China, the US non-profit organisation that owns the volunteer-edited encyclopaedia has said.

The Wikimedia Foundation told BBC News the infiltration had threatened the "very foundations of Wikipedia".

The foundation banned seven editors linked to a mainland China group.

Wikimedians of Mainland China accused the foundation of "baselessly slandering a small group of people".

'Rapid response'


"This case is unprecedented in scope," foundation vice-president Maggie Dennis said, in a note to volunteers.

And she told BBC News the foundation had been investigating the infiltration of Chinese-language Wikipedia for nearly a year.

But this summer, "credible threats" to volunteers' safety had "led us to prioritise rapid response".

The foundation was battling against "capture", where a group gains control of the editing of the Wikipedia to favour a particular viewpoint, Ms Dennis wrote.

And it has recently set up a disinformation team.

'Controlling content'


In this case, the infiltrators had tried to promote "the aims of China, as interpreted through whatever filters they may bring to bear", Ms Dennis told BBC News.

"Controlling content was an aim," she said.

But she also said: "I am not in position to point fingers at the Chinese state nor in possession of information that would lead me to do so."

Edit battles have contested Wikipedia articles about political events in Hong Kong

However, "long and deep investigations" into Wikimedians of Mainland China, a group claiming to have about 300 members, had resulted in the banning of seven users and the removal of administrator privileges from a further 12, Wikipedia said.

And there had been concern elections for powerful administrator roles were being manipulated and the process of editing risked being overwhelmed.

Other editors have also been asked to modify their behaviour.

In a post in response to the bans, Wikimedians of Mainland China accused the foundation of acting contrary to the "feelings and opinions of the community".

But Ms Dennis said the foundation had acted in awareness of conflict between mainland China based Wikimedians and volunteers in Hong Kong.

In July, the Hong Kong Free Press reported "battles between competing editors" over articles describing political events.

And the situation worsened after the closure of Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper and the arrest of its top executives,

Mainland editors were increasingly "pushing for the use of Chinese state media as reliable news sources" in Wikipedia articles, the Hong Kong Free Press alleged.
People queue to buy the last edition of Apple Daily

People queue to buy the last edition of Apple Daily

And it revealed some had discussed reporting Hong Kong editors to the city's national security police hotline, in online chat groups.

Some members of the Hong Kong Wikipedia community were now fearful of "commenting on politically sensitive articles", Hong Kong Free Press reporter Selina Cheng told BBC News.

"Hong Kong users feared they may be targeted as a result of their identities being known," she said.

And they asked the Wikimedia Foundation's Trust and Safety team to help them.

'Biasing information'


Weeks earlier, the foundation, responding to a security warning, had restricted access to personally identifiable information in two jurisdictions where access to Wikipedia was blocked - including China.

It had feared volunteers - some of whom are young - could be exploited or compelled to share personal data by "state actors or others with an interest in biasing information".

Ms Dennis said the "software" showed the foundation's actions had worked and no data had been misused.

But the latest action to counter infiltration had been necessary because individuals had inadvertently put themselves at risk by sharing information about themselves, "such as attending local meetings or sharing personal email addresses" with other users.

'Risked harm'


"When the foundation has credible information that some volunteers may not be interacting in good faith - and in this case, there was plenty - we may feel it necessary to protect the community by removing those individuals from access," she said.

"In such cases, users are banned."

Ms Dennis said she was keen none of the steps taken to protect Wikipedia should discourage Chinese-speakers from joining the community - or volunteers in China who had worked "for free and open knowledge" and may have risked harm by doing so.

To the 4,000 Chinese language Wikimedians she wrote: "We are committed to supporting you in doing this work into the future, with the tools you need to succeed in a safe, secure,and productive environment."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×