In recent times, conservative forces have sought to take control of the information ecosystem in which we all live. In the case of social media, you can buy an existing platform (say, Twitter) or, in the case of Trump, simply start your own. In the case of public broadcasters like PBS and NPR, you can defund them. When it comes to open-source and decentralized information resources like Wikipedia, however, it appears the plan may be to find evidence of a nefarious conspiracy that justifies reworking the platform to your liking.
This week, two prominent Republicans, Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), both of whom play influential roles in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced plans to probe into everybody’s favorite digital encyclopedia. In a letter that Comer and Mace sent to the Wikimedia Foundation (which helps run the site), they asked for internal documents that might show evidence of bad actors who had commandeered Wikipedia for their own ends. The letter, dated Aug. 27th, states that the committee is…
…investigating the efforts of foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars to influence U.S. public opinion. We seek your assistance in obtaining documents and communications regarding individuals (or specific accounts) serving as Wikipedia volunteer editors who violated Wikipedia platform policies as well as your own efforts to thwart intentional, organized efforts to inject bias into important and sensitive topics.
“Inject bias,” eh? We wouldn’t want our media to be biased, would we? Better to be fair and balanced, right? Wait…where have I heard that before?
In a not particularly surprising twist, the letter also mentions Israel:
Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences. One recent report raised troubling questions about potentially systematic efforts to advance antisemitic and anti-Israel information in Wikipedia articles related to conflicts with the State of Israel.
Yes, if people are writing bad things about Israel online, it’s clear that just has to stop. What isn’t clear is what, exactly, the committee plans to do if it finds evidence of “injected bias.” Whatever it is, you can be sure it’ll be annoying. Gizmodo reached out to the committee for more information about their probe and will update this story when we find out more.