Wikipedia Bars Edits From Scientology Addresses

Move is site's first such action against major organization
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 29, 2009 10:24 AM CDT
Wikipedia Bars Edits From Scientology Addresses
Pedestrians walk past the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.    (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

In an unusually broad push against posting biased content, Wikipedia’s “supreme court” has banned edits from IP addresses associated with Scientology headquarters and its affiliates, the Register reports. The Wikipedia Arbitration Committee voted 10-0 for the ban. Individual “Wikifiddlers” have had their privileges revoked in the past, but the move is the site’s first crackdown on a well-known group for a self-promotional breach.

The site says it opposes users editing “to promote their own interests.” Site administrators, concerned about “Wikipedia's reputation for neutrality," had observed the editing of Scientology articles “from Church of Scientology equipment and apparently coordinating their activities.” Said a former Scientology official: “The guys I worked with posted every day all day” on the Web, aiming “to refute any facts from the Internet about the Church of Scientology.”
(More Wikipedia stories.)

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