Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has publicly called on individuals to cease their donations to Wikipedia, alleging that the online encyclopedia has become a platform manipulated by “far-Left activists.” This latest critique is not Musk’s first encounter with the platform; he has previously accused Wikipedia of promoting leftist narratives.
In a recent post on X, the social media platform he owns, Musk cited a report from the U.S.-based news outlet Pirate Wires. This report claims that a coordinated effort involving approximately 40 Wikipedia editors has aimed to undermine Israel, depict radical Islamist groups positively, and misrepresent fringe academic views on the Israel-Palestine conflict as mainstream opinions. This campaign, according to the report, intensified following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Musk, a supporter of former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, stated in his X post, “Wikipedia is controlled by far-Left activists. People should stop donating to them.”
The Pirate Wires report details an incident where, just six weeks after the October 7 attack, one of the Wikipedia editors successfully removed references to Hamas’ 1988 charter, which calls for the extermination of Jews and the obliteration of Israel. The report also highlights efforts to advance Iranian government interests by deleting documented human rights abuses by Iranian officials from various articles.
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Concerns regarding Wikipedia’s editorial practices are not limited to the United States. In India, allegations have emerged that “super editors,” long-time users with the ability to lock certain topics, have manipulated the platform to push specific narratives. Recently, Asian News International (ANI), one of South Asia’s largest news agencies, filed a ₹2 crore defamation lawsuit against Wikipedia’s parent foundation, claiming it allowed harmful edits to its entry. The Delhi High Court subsequently issued a contempt notice to Wikipedia for not disclosing details about the accounts that made the disputed edits. Following this, Wikipedia removed the contentious entry.
On October 25, the Delhi High Court expressed concerns over Wikipedia’s open-editing model, with Justice Subramonium Prasad labeling it “dangerous” due to unrestricted public editing access. Additionally, Wikipedia has become a focal point in the ongoing Manipur crisis, with allegations that far-Left editors selectively cite sources influenced by their narratives, contributing to the growing controversy surrounding the platform’s credibility.
