Wikipedia owner denies Saudi infiltration claim

Wikipedia's genitor institution has denied claims the Saudi authorities infiltrated its squad successful the Middle East.

Two planetary quality rights groups said Saudi officials had altered oregon deleted contented connected the website.

The claims came aft Wikimedia carried retired its ain probe and suspended 16 users for "conflict of interest" editing successful the Middle East.

Wikimedia said "material inaccuracies" had been published but nary grounds of Saudi infiltration was found.

Wikipedia relies connected teams of unpaid administrators and editors for its content.

A connection by Smex and Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) accused the Saudi authorities of utilizing agents to enactment arsenic autarkic editors connected Wikipedia to "control accusation astir the country".

Smex is based successful Lebanon portion Dawn is simply a US-based organisation founded by Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered successful 2018 wrong the Saudi consulate successful Istanbul.

The groups besides alleged that 2 "high-ranking administrators successful Saudi Arabia" were arrested successful September 2020 and charged with "swaying nationalist opinion" and "violating nationalist morals". They were sentenced to 5 and 8 years successful prison, the groups said.

Last year, Wikimedia announced 16 planetary suspensions for users who "were engaging successful struggle of involvement editing connected Wikipedia projects" successful the Middle East.

"We were capable to corroborate that a fig of users with adjacent connections with outer parties were editing the level successful a coordinated manner to beforehand the purpose of those parties," it said.

Citing "sources with cognition of Wikimedia's operations", Smex and Dawn said astatine slightest 1 of the 16 were Saudi users, serving arsenic agents for the authorities to "promote affirmative contented astir the authorities and delete contented captious of the government".

Wikimedia said this is "unlikely to beryllium the case", adding that immoderate users "who whitethorn person been Saudi" were among those banned.

"These organisations did not stock the connection with the [Wikimedia] Foundation, and 'sources of knowledge' arsenic cited successful their merchandise tin get things wrong," it said.

Saudi authorities person not commented connected the claims.