US lawmakers have launched an investigation into Wikipedia, accusing the platform of promoting anti-Israel and anti-Ukraine narratives and of spreading coded hate through its ‘early life’ sections. The probe, led by the House Oversight Committee and the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, seeks detailed records on editing activities and explanations for addressing organized content manipulation campaigns.
The investigation follows multiple complaints about attempts to manipulate information on the platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Atlantic Council have raised concerns about anti-Israel and anti-Ukrainian content respectively. Investigative journalist Dominic Michael Tripi reported that the commission allegedly pressured Wikipedia to remove the ‘early life’ sections of personal pages, citing them as coded hate.
The credibility and objectivity of Wikipedia have long been questioned, with critics alleging left-leaning bias in its entries. Elon Musk has previously branded the platform as ‘Wokepedia’ and urged people to stop donating to the organization due to its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Russia has accused Wikipedia of promoting Western-centric narratives, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stating last year that the platform almost always reflects a one-sided interpretation of events and even contains outright forgeries. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has alleged that the platform has been used by the US intelligence community as an instrument of control to further the agenda of the liberal establishment.