Discussion · bonfire.cafe

I’ve spent the better part of two decades dealing with people trying to dox and harass the volunteers who make Wikipedia the incredible resource it is today.

I liked it better when they weren’t in Congress.

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/082725-letter-to-Wikimedia.pdf

#Wikipedia #USpol

RMS06510

@rskurat@mastodon.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff all of this information is publicly available on Wikipedia itself. And Wikipedia is under no obligation to comply anyway. This is clownish grandstanding.

Molly White

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 2 months ago

@rskurat private ArbCom communications, account IPs, and WMF records are not public. you're correct that they are not compelled to respond at this stage, but the letter is already having a chilling effect.

Peter Motte

@PeterMotte@social.linux.pizza replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff Do you know that Wikipedia is one of the major sources to train OpenAI's LLM, the sort of AI which people like Musk is going to sack thousands of people? It would have been better if Wikipedia was an utter failure.
By the way: the first people who will loose their jobs, are those who were capable of writing those articles for Wikipedia. "Thank you very much."

Molly White

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 2 months ago

@PeterMotte "it would be better if there weren't free and open high-quality sources of information because they might be used to train AI" is a wild take

should humanity never have written books, either?

Peter Motte

@PeterMotte@social.linux.pizza replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff Again we can notice here some form of blurring of moral standards. Maybe it's not really "moral standards", but it's quite clear that two things are presented as equal which are NOT equal.

cynical melomaniac :tux:

@cynical_melomaniac@freeradical.zone replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff the first citation is the ADL good god humanity is fucked

Joe

@not2b@sfba.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff What part of "Congress shall make no law" do they not understand? I hope Wikipedia tells them that they will not comply. If they come back with a subpoena instead of a request, fight it in court. But maybe voluntarily release a sample of abusive activity: any abusive edit attempts that came from IP addresses belonging to the US House of Representatives.

TiffanyNBastow

@TiffanyNBastow@mastodon.world replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff That sounds incredibly tough. Cheers to the years of effort you’ve put into protecting the people who help keep Wikipedia thriving, it’s hard to imagine the internet without it. It’s disheartening to see those same tactics creeping into public life, but voices like yours help highlight how damaging and corrosive that behavior really is.✍🏻

Pax Ahimsa Gethen

@funcrunch@me.dm replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff

Found news coverage of this in The Hill:

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5473331-wikipedia-bias-probe-republicans/

Which I added to the (hopefully) appropriate #Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_and_the_Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict

SomeVeganCheeseIsOk

@SomeVeganCheeseIsOk@mastodon.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff "beg pardon but since when is Wikipedia critical Federal infrastructure subject to your oversight? Last I checked you don't pay our bills, bitch. Go hassle some suck-up college that took your cash and bent over for you, they always say we're not a primary source for students anyways."

Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:

@markwyner@mas.to replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff

Fucking fascists. It’s imperative that we all stand with the Wikipedia volunteers, even those who don’t think this is a top-level problem. Because it is. It’s vitally important that we protect sources of facts.

cobalt

@cobalt123@beige.party replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff Oh this is dreadful. I so hope that Wikipedia and -Media and all entities affiliated can withstand the pressure. I guess the trial run was attempts in the last few years to buy it out.

Cykonot

@cykonot@mas.to replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff the funniest response would be to IP-ban Fort Bragg

SarahATX

@purplelotus13@mastodon.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff
Holy shit

PKPs Powerfromspace1

@Powerfromspace1@mstdn.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff we feel seen

Jonathan Kamens 86 47

@jik@federate.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff I hope Wiki[pm]edia tells them to fuck right off into the sun.

Pax Ahimsa Gethen

@funcrunch@me.dm replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff

I see this demand letter is co-signed by #NancyMace, instigator of this #transphobic BS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress_transgender_bathroom_dispute

Pax Ahimsa Gethen

@funcrunch@me.dm replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff

I consider my volunteer #Wikipedia editing to be the most important thing I've done in recent years. Fuck these people

lemgandi

@lemgandi@mastodon.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff Oof. I started monthly donations when Elon Musk attacked Wikipedia.

crazyeddie

@crazyeddie@mastodon.social replied · 2 months ago

@molly0xfff I hope my graffiti that got immediately cleaned up on the Samuel Adams page making fun of certain people doesn't get anyone into trouble :p

These are the types to take it as a slight on their position if you arbitrarily delete a poorly cited claim that a beer made the american bald eagle cry.

Molly White

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 2 months ago

I spent six years on the same (volunteer!) Arbitration Committee from which Oversight is now demanding private communications. Even just threats like this one, regardless of followthrough, will it so much harder for them to do their thankless work.