The Wikimedia foundation, which runs Wikipedia, is up in arms over the fact that a company called “Wiki-PR” has been charging to create promotional articles on the online encyclopedia. Ars Technica reports that Wiki-PR has apparently charged up to $1,000 for such articles.
Today, Wikimedia sent a cease and desist letter to the CEO of Wiki-PR demanding that it “cease and desist from further editing the Wikipedia website unless and until [they] have fully complied with the terms and conditions outlined by the Wikimedia Community.”
This comes after Wikimedia found out that Wiki-PR is still actively promoting such paid articles, despite being banned in October from further editing Wikipedia. The letter from Wikimedia’s law firm states:
In your communications with me and the Foundation, you have stated your intent to work with the community to satisfy its conditions for lifting the ban. Yet, yesterday, you admitted that Wiki-PR has continued to actively market paid advocacy editing services despite the ban — consistent with evidence that we have discovered independently. This is deeply troubling, and suggests that Wiki-PR is circumventing the ban at the same time it professes to engage with the community about complying with it.
➤ Wikipedia wants PR firm to stop paid editing services, hints at lawsuit [Ars Technica]
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