The US Attorney demanded that Wikipedia explain itself for propaganda and manipulation

The federal prosecutor of the American District of Columbia, Edward Martin, accused the online encyclopedia Wikipedia of propaganda and manipulation of information that affects the interests of the United States. The prosecutor's letter to the Wikimedia Foundation is dated April 24.

Wikipedia allows the manipulation of information on its platform, including the rewriting of key historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other issues affecting the national security and interests of the United States," the document says.

Martin appeals to the article of the US Code that regulates the activities of tax-exempt organizations. According to the provisions of the document, such organizations should carry out their activities exclusively for "religious, charitable, scientific purposes, in the interests of public safety, for literary or educational purposes."

In his opinion, the platform "masks propaganda" influencing public opinion under the guise of providing information materials. Such a policy contradicts Wikimedia's "educational" mission, Martin emphasized.

In addition, the prosecutor was outraged by the fact that Wikipedia's management consists mainly of foreign citizens, which "contradicts the interests of American taxpayers."

"If the content contained in Wikipedia articles is biased, unreliable, or created by organizations that want to harm the United States, prioritizing Wikipedia by the search engine will only increase propaganda among a broader American audience," he stressed.

Martin sent the foundation 12 questions regarding the work of the online encyclopedia, in particular, how multiple points of view are reflected and when malicious or illegal material is removed. He expects answers to his questions by May 15.

On December 24 last year, American entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk called for an end to donating funds to Wikipedia because of its editorial policy. The online resource reported that in 2023-2024 it spent more than $50 million of its total budget to support the policy of diversity and equality. Musk demanded that donations no longer be transferred to Wikipedia until it returns the balance of editing powers.