logo
Project 2025's Creators Want to Dox Wikipedia Editors. The Tool They're Using Is Horrifying.

Project 2025's Creators Want to Dox Wikipedia Editors. The Tool They're Using Is Horrifying.

Yahoo05-02-2025
This is Source Notes, a column about the internet's information ecosystem.
Last month, the Jewish-American news site Forward reported a shocking scoop: The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, is planning to 'identify and target' Wikipedia editors. Through analyzing text patterns, usernames, and technical data and employing social-engineering tactics, Heritage aimed to reveal the identities of anonymous Wikipedia editors it believes are 'abusing their position' on the platform.
In the culture of Wikipedia editing, it is common for individuals to use pseudonyms to protect their privacy and avoid personal threats. Revealing an editor's personal information without their consent, a practice known as doxing, is a form of harassment that can result in a user's being permanently banned from the site. Although this behavior is strictly prohibited by Wikipedia's rules, Heritage has endorsed these scorched-earth tactics in response to what it perceives as antisemitism among certain editors covering the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on Wikipedia.
Let's be clear: Wikipedia's handling of this topic area is incredibly contentious. Many Wikipedians deliberately avoid pages like 'Gaza War,' 'Zionism,' and even the meta-entry on Wikipedia's own coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. These pages are under extended confirmed protection, meaning that only experienced editors—those who have been on Wikipedia for at least 30 days and have made at least 500 edits—can make changes to them.
But even with these restrictions in place, tensions continue to run high. One side accuses the Tech for Palestine coalition of trying to hijack Wikipedia with Palestinian propaganda, while the other points out that Israel's government seems to be mobilizing its own citizens to write about the conflict from their perspective. Although founder Jimmy Wales insists the Wikipedia community aims for neutrality, the editors don't always succeed.
Even if you take issue with how the site is currently framing the conflict, that doesn't justify Heritage's plan. Targeting Wikipedia editors personally, instead of debating their edits on the platform, marks a dangerous escalation. 'The document [from Heritage] is sort of vague about what they would do once they ID a person,' journalist and Wikipedia editor Molly White told Forward, 'but the things that come to mind are not great.'
The Heritage Foundation's threats recall the methods used by pro–Chinese Communist Party editors in 2021, when a group called Wikimedians of Mainland China specifically targeted Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists. These Chinese nationalist editors were displeased with the way the Hong Kong editors were documenting the protests against Beijing's rule. Rather than continuing the discussion on Wikipedia's talk pages (places for editors to chat with one another and debate proposed changes), the pro-CCP editors resorted to doxing and reporting their opponents' real-life identities to the state police, leading some Hong Kong editors to be physically harmed. It seems that both the CCP and Heritage believe that if you can't win an argument in the digital space of Wikipedia, it's fair game to destroy that person's life offline.
In the documents obtained by Forward, Heritage employees announced plans to use advanced data sources and tools from companies like Moody's and Thomson Reuters to unmask Wikipedia editors. These powerful applications provide a virtual fire hose of real-time information, including location and address history, cross-referencing usernames, and fingerprinting a user based on writing style.
'Data broker tools can turn doxing into a laser-sharp targeting tool,' Sarah Lamdan, a lawyer and author of Data Cartels, told me.
In the long term, Wikipedians, and the rest of us, can ask for stronger privacy protections from both lawmakers and the companies. Until then, there is not much that users can do to protect themselves from mass surveillance.
Despite the risks, it seems that Wikipedia editors are not fleeing the project in droves. The recent Wikipedia Day NYC gathering at the Brooklyn Public Library boasted an impressive 1,200 RSVPs. Pacita Rudder, the executive director of the local chapter, told me that the group had implemented an emergency and safety manual for volunteers and staff in case of issues. Attendees were given the option to use pseudonyms and could wear red stickers to indicate their preference to have no photos taken of them; a livestream was also available for those who did not feel comfortable attending in person.
Contrary to sensationalist media coverage, decisions made by the Wikipedia community tend to be carefully considered. For example, take the controversy last year about whether articles published by the Anti-Defamation League, a top Jewish civil rights group, should be considered a reliable source for Wikipedia citations. While headlines suggested that Wikipedia had completely banned the ADL, the actual decision makes clear that the organization can still be used as a source in certain contexts outside the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
For background, Wikipedia has also deprecated other advocacy organizations that take an overtly pro-Russia, pro-China, or pro-Arab perspective. To be fair, the Wikipedia community could do a better job of explaining why advocacy organizations are not always considered reliable sources based on the context; however, that is a complex discussion that's not easily contained within a tweet.
Meanwhile, the Wikipedia community is trying to govern the behavior of its volunteers without outside influence. For months, the volunteer judges on Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee (the website's version of a supreme court) have been scrutinizing the actions of editors who are highly involved in Israeli–Palestinian articles. On Jan. 23, ArbCom issued a verdict in the PIA5 case, a virtual trial in which it examined the conduct of 14 highly prolific editors in this topic area. After hearing preliminary statements from the parties and issuing findings of facts (including that some editors were using deceptive sock puppet accounts), ArbCom ultimately banned multiple pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli editors for 'non-neutral editing.'
In addition to these bans, the committee introduced a new punitive measure, the 'balanced editing restriction,' which dictates that sanctioned users can devote only a third of their edits to this contentious topic area. Essentially, these Wikipedians are being forced to broaden their scope. (Already, the verdict has sparked controversy within the Wikipedia community, with some questioning whether these editors will find creative ways to circumvent the rule.)
Regardless of its effectiveness, Wikipedia's latest decision aligns with its quasi-democratic principles. It reflects a commitment to online debate rather than the authoritarian tactics proposed by Heritage. But if the think tank succeeds in its effort to identify and target editors, the consequences could be profound. Faced with the risk of harassment or real-world retaliation, many volunteer editors—especially those covering politically sensitive topics—may simply stop contributing. Those who remain are likely to be the most ideologically driven voices, further eroding Wikipedia's stated goal of neutrality.
The free encyclopedia will become too toxic to sustain.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump announces U.S. deal with European Union to impose 15% tariff
Trump announces U.S. deal with European Union to impose 15% tariff

UPI

time4 minutes ago

  • UPI

Trump announces U.S. deal with European Union to impose 15% tariff

U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media while playing golf at Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland on Sunday. He later met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Sunday announced 15% tariffs on most foreign goods from the European Union, down from the threatened 30%, as part of a trade agreement with the 27-nation bloc. Trump announced the deal at his Turnberry Isle Country Club in Scotland after his public session with European Commission President von der Leyen. Trump said the European Union won't impose new tariffs on U.S. imports. During the meeting with the media, both leaders said the chance of a deal was 50-50. "You are known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker," von der Leyen told Trump, with reporters on hand. Leyen said the agreement "will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." Trump said the deal was "satisfactory to both sides." The European Union is the largest U.S. trading partner with $605 billion in goods yearly. The products are mainly drugs and pharmaceuticals, primarily from Ireland, as well as aircraft and heavy machinery, mainly from France and Germany. The 50% tariffs on steel, like most other nations, would remain and more duties could happen for pharmaceutical products, as well as semiconductors. Trump has also threatened a 200% tariffs on any drugs imported to the U.S. Trump said the deal would be "great for cars" and agriculture. Trump has previously noted that few American cars are sold in Europe. On April 2, he said he would impose a 20% duty against the EU, with most trading nations imposed a baseline 10%. He paused the retaliatory tariffs on April 9 for 90 days. In a letter to EU nations on July 12, the U.S. president threatened 30% retaliatory tariffs to take effect on Aug. 1. "Imposing 30% tariffs on E.U. exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," von der Leyen said after Trump's letter. Letters to other nations have threatened tariffs as high as 50%, including to Brazil. The Trump administration has been negotiating with other nations, including reaching deals with China (30%), Japan (15%), Indonesia (19%) and Vietnam (20%). Britain, which is not part of the European Union, has a reduction in some tariffs of 10% on up to 100,000 vehicles and 25% on steel and aluminum. Last year, the average U.S. tariffs on imports from the EU was 1.2%, according to Capital Economics' chief Europe economist. The deal with the European Union is part of a broader trade agreement. EU had a $58.7 billion overall trade surplus with the U.S. in 2024. For goods, it was $168.6 billion but the deficit was $126 billion in services trade. "The European Union is going to agree to purchase from the United States $750 billion worth of energy," Trump said. The E.U. would also invest $600 billion into the United States. In 2024, the bloc bought nearly $400 billion in goods. Michael Brown, a senior research strategist at British-based Pepperstone brokerage, told The New York Times that U.S. defense companies likely will emerge as winners from the deal.

OMB director Russell Vought on "I don't even know what that chapter says" about Project 2025 and the Fed
OMB director Russell Vought on "I don't even know what that chapter says" about Project 2025 and the Fed

CBS News

time4 minutes ago

  • CBS News

OMB director Russell Vought on "I don't even know what that chapter says" about Project 2025 and the Fed

White House budget official Russell Vought, one of the authors of Project 2025, indicated Sunday that President Trump's focus on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is because the president wants lower interest rates, not because it is one of the suggested targets of an overhaul suggested in the conservative blueprint. "I don't even know what that chapter says," Vought, the Office of Budget and Management director, said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" when talking about Project 2025 and the Federal Reserve. "All I know, in terms of the president, the president has run on an agenda. He's been very clear about that. All that we're doing is- in this administration is running on- is implementing his agenda." Overseen by the conservative thinktank Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 was a massive, multi-prong initiative for how a Republican president can introduce sweeping right-wing policy. Mr. Trump insisted on the campaign trail that he had "nothing to do" with Project 2025, and a 2024 CBS News analysis found that at least 270 of the nearly 700 policy proposals matched either campaign proposals or his first-term agenda. Since he took office, many of his policies have matched ones laid out in Project 2025. Project 2025 lays out an overhaul of the Fed, saying "monetary dysfunction is related in part to the impossibility of fine-tuning the money supply in real time, as well as to the moral hazard inherent in a political system that has demonstrated a history of bailing out private firms when they engage in excess speculation." "To protect the Federal Reserve's independence and to improve monetary policy outcomes, Congress should limit its mandate to the sole objective of stable money." Project 2025 says. Vought is not listed as one of the authors of that chapter, but he was one of the key intellectual drivers of the overall project and its recommendations. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has sharply criticized Powell and has indicated he wants to fire Powell, but Mr. Trump has also said he didn't think it was necessary. The Fed chair can only be fired "for cause," and Mr. Trump has zeroed in on an extensive renovation project to two of the Federal Reserve's buildings under Powell's watch. Vought sent a letter on July 10 to Powell alleging the "ostentatious" office renovation project may be "violating the law." Mr. Trump visited the Fed on Thursday, where he and Powell clashed over the cost of those changes. Federal law gives the Fed the power to make decisions about acquiring and remodeling buildings in Washington to serve as its office spaces. The Fed is self-funded, so taxpayer dollars are not appropriated for their costs. Powell's term is up in 2026, and House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News last week that he expects a "rocky road" ahead for Powell. Mr. Trump wants Powell to lower interest rates, but Powell has said the Fed wants to see how the economy responds to Mr. Trump's sweeping tariffs, which Powell says could push up inflation. Further, the decision to raise or lower interest rates is not Powell's alone — eight times a year, the Federal Open Market Committee, which has 12 members, votes on monetary policy. Despite the pressure from the Trump administration, the Fed is expected to hold steady on interest rates at its meeting this week. Vought said Sunday that Mr. Trump has been "very clear that all he's asking from the Fed is lower interest rates, because he thinks it's important." "When you look across the globe, and you have countries lowering rates, and yet we don't see that in this country, given all of the positive economic indicators that we're seeing," Vought said. "And then we have fiscal mismanagement at the Fed with regard to this building renovation that I'm sure you will ask me about. Those are the kinds of things that we want to see from the Fed. This is not part of an existential issue with regard to the Federal Reserve."Joe Walsh contributed to this report.

Macron Embraces a Palestinian Mirage
Macron Embraces a Palestinian Mirage

Wall Street Journal

time5 minutes ago

  • Wall Street Journal

Macron Embraces a Palestinian Mirage

French President Emmanuel Macron is having a rough go at home with a 19% approval rating. That may explain at least in part his attempt at making headlines with a vanity project abroad. 'Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,' Mr. Macron said Thursday. 'In doing so,' he wrote to Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, 'France will make a decisive contribution to peace in the Middle East.' It's hard to see how. A Palestinian state doesn't exist, though it's recognized by some 147 nations, many of which did so with the Soviet Union in 1988. 'Here's the good news,' President Trump commented on Mr. Macron's move on Friday. 'What he says doesn't matter. It's not going to change anything.' France isn't involved in any of the serious diplomacy, so it can ignore the real obstacles—Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any borders, Hamas's power and popularity, and Israeli reluctance following the hard education of the second intifada, Gaza disengagement and the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store