4 ms·
This statement says that wiki-pr was in performing "paid advocacy." I looked at the Terms of Use for Wikipedia and this company seems to be in violation of some
by bredren 13y ago
This statement says that wiki-pr was in performing "paid advocacy." I looked at the Terms of Use for Wikipedia and this company seems to be in violation of some or all of this portion:
Engaging in False Statements, Impersonation, or Fraud
- Intentionally or knowingly posting content that constitutes libel or defamation;
- With the intent to deceive, posting content that is false or inaccurate;
- Attempting to impersonate another user or individual, misrepresenting your affiliation with any individual or entity, or using the username of another user with the intent to deceive; and
- Engaging in fraud.
Looking at the cease and desist letter, it appears the real issue here is not that they were being paid to create or maintain wikipedia articles, but that the content was not neutral and that editors did not self-declare their status as paid but rather unaffiliated internet users.
- redthrowaway 13y agoYou're absolutely allowed to be paid to edit articles. Many large organizations employ people for specifically that purpose. However, those who do so legitimately will make it clear both through their username and their userpage that that's what they're doing. The community then takes that into account when determining whether their edits are appropriate.
- chris_wot 13y agoYou are absolutely not allowed to be paid to edit articles!
- redthrowaway 13y agoSorry, you're right. I misremembered. You can't directly edit articles in which you have a conflict of interest, however you can (and are encouraged to) request edits on the talk page, provide sources, write drafts, etc. Often these paid editors will have experienced volunteers they collaborate with who work with them to ensure the proposed edits meet Wikipedia's guidelines. It's a sort of hands-off editing by proxy, but there very much are paid editors working on articles about their employers -- they just don't edit the articles directly.
- chris_wot 13y agoAgree completely with this. That is the most transparent way of going about things.