Indian government raises bias, inaccuracy concerns over Wikipedia’s open-editing model.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a notice to Wikipedia, raising concerns over alleged bias and inaccuracies on the platform.
The notice, which questions the online encyclopaedia’s intermediary status, comes amid a Delhi High Court case involving allegations of defamatory edits on the page of news agency Asian News International (ANI).
Government Questions Wikipedia’s Status as an Intermediary
According to The Economic Times, the Indian government’s concerns include Wikipedia’s editing model, which allegedly allows biased and inaccurate information to be shared.
The ministry highlighted that editorial control on Wikipedia is concentrated among a select few, which, they argue, could compromise neutrality.
In its notice, the ministry questioned why Wikipedia should not be classified as a publisher, given its editorial processes.
Unlike traditional publishers, Wikipedia operates as an open-source platform where volunteer users create, edit, and manage pages on various topics. This model, the government argues, does not absolve the platform from responsibility for its content.
High Court Calls Wikipedia’s Editing System “Dangerous”
The notice follows remarks from the Delhi High Court, which recently criticized Wikipedia’s open-editing system as “dangerous.”
In a case involving ANI, the court expressed concerns over the platform’s potential to host harmful or defamatory content due to its unrestricted editing features.
Refusal to Disclose Editor Identities Raises Further Questions
The court also directed Wikipedia to provide details of the users responsible for the ANI page edits, but Wikipedia reportedly refused.
The platform’s legal representatives argued that its editors are bound by policies requiring verifiable information, though they resisted sharing editor identities.
The ongoing legal debate raises questions about accountability in Wikipedia’s intermediary status and the reliability of its content.
