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Ed Martin, the interim attorney for Washington D.C., has addressed a letter to the Wikimedia Foundation, which oversees the operations of Wikipedia, raising concerns about its classification as a nonprofit organization. In his correspondence, obtained by The Free Press, Martin accused Wikipedia of participating in activities that may breach its obligations as a tax-exempt entity under U.S. law.
According to Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26, tax-exempt organizations must function solely for purposes that are religious, charitable, scientific, public safety testing, literary, or educational. Martin claims that the platform is “permitting foreign entities to distort information and disseminate propaganda,” which allegedly involves “rewriting” historical facts and impacting national security interests.
In his letter, Martin poses several questions regarding the measures the Wikimedia Foundation is taking to protect the public from propaganda and to prevent “foreign influence operatives from making targeted edits” that could “alter or rewrite history.” He has set a deadline of May 15th for the Foundation to respond to his inquiries.
“The content on Wikipedia is governed by three core content policies: neutral point of view, verifiability, and no original research, which aim to ensure information is reported as accurately, fairly, and neutrally as possible,” remarked Jacob Rogers, associate general counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation, in a statement to The Verge. “The entire moderation process is managed by nearly 260,000 volunteers and is transparent for public scrutiny, allowing us to clarify how Wikipedia operates in the appropriate settings.”
Martin’s letter is indicative of a wider trend where individuals and groups from the political right have criticized Wikipedia. Elon Musk, for instance, previously urged his followers to “stop donating to Wokepedia,” later referring to the platform as “an extension of legacy media propaganda.” A January report from Forward.com revealed that The Heritage Foundation, a right-leaning think tank associated with Project 2025, had developed a presentation aimed at “targeting” Wikipedia editors.
In response to these challenges, the Wikimedia Foundation has implemented tools designed to safeguard the identities of its editors. CEO Maryana Iskander informed the community of a growing number of threats, including both regulatory pressures and legal challenges worldwide, as covered by 404 Media.
Source
www.theverge.com