Congressman pressures Wikipedia editors to name anti-Israel articles under guise of investigation, part of Heritage Foundation's anti-Semitic suppression tactics
Two Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives are investigating to uncover the identity of the editor who wrote a Wikipedia article that portrays Israel in a negative light.
House Republicans Investigate Wikipedia for Alleged “Anti-Israel” Bias | Truthout
On September 3, 2025, Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Nancy Mace, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, sent a letter to the Wikimedia Foundation , the nonprofit organization that runs Wikipedia.
The letter asks Wikimedia Foundation CEO Mariana Iskander for assistance with 'documentation and communications regarding instances in which individuals (or specific accounts) acting as Wikipedia volunteer editors have violated Wikipedia's platform standards, as well as efforts to prevent intentional and coordinated attempts to inject bias into important and sensitive topics.' The letter also asks for information on whether 'nation-state actors' or 'academic institutions' are involved in content editing or influence operations that may violate Wikipedia's standards.
In response, a Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson told The Hill that the company is considering the request, saying, 'We welcome answering the Committee's questions and discussing the importance of protecting the integrity of information on our platform.'
The Republican investigation is aligned with the goals of
In their letter, Comer and Mace asked the Wikimedia Foundation to provide 'identifying account information (e.g., name, IP address, registration date, activity logs)' for editors who have been appointed to the 'arbitration committee' to resolve disputes between Wikipedia editors. Truthout argued that this 'essentially amounts to Congress asking Wikipedia to 'doxx' the editors.'
In response, Stephen Harrison, a technology media writer and Wikipedia expert, stated in February 2025, 'Wikipedia's editorial culture is one in which anonymity is common to protect privacy and avoid personal threats. Publishing personal information without consent is a form of harassment and can result in permanent banning.'
The lawmakers' main concern is 'Wikipedia's handling of Israel-related content.' Citing a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a pro-Israel lobbying group, the letter expresses concern about 'coordinated efforts to introduce anti-Semitic and anti-Israel material onto Wikipedia.'
The ADL report alleges that 30 unidentified 'rogue' editors worked together to edit articles about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, compromising neutrality by 'emphasizing criticism of Israel and downplaying Palestinian terrorism and anti-Semitism.'
However, the report has been heavily criticized, and some of the scholars cited have taken issue. Shira Klein, who studies Wikipedia's descriptions of the Holocaust, said her and other scholars' work has been 'inaccurately used to enforce public censorship of Israel.' Klein called the ADL report 'highly distorted' because its premise 'relies on the false notion that criticism of Israel or Zionism is inherently anti-Semitic.'
Klein also pointed out that the ADL's claims lack evidence, saying, 'To prove fraud, you need to show that Wikipedia articles repeatedly present as fact claims that clearly contradict the academic consensus. But that evidence doesn't exist. The ADL just says, 'Take our word for it.''
Truthout explains that there has long been a right-wing movement to undermine Wikipedia's independence and attack the privacy of its editors.
According to documents obtained by The Forward's Arno Rosenfeld in January 2025, the Heritage Foundation was secretly developing a plan to identify and target Wikipedia editors. The documents instructed Heritage staff to analyze text patterns, usernames, and technical data through data breach analysis, fingerprinting, and technical targeting. The documents also suggested creating fake Wikipedia accounts to trick editors into providing personal information or clicking malicious tracking links to reveal their identities.
According to Rosenfeld, the Heritage Foundation reportedly sent documents about the plot to target Wikipedia editors to Jewish foundations and potential supporters of Project Esther , a project aimed at suppressing anti-Semitism. Jewish Voice for Peace , an anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy group, described Project Esther as 'The Heritage Foundation's blueprint to use federal and private agencies to dismantle the Palestine solidarity movement and American civil society under the guise of combating anti-Semitism.'
Harrison criticized the Heritage Foundation's efforts, saying, 'Even if there were objections to Wikipedia's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Heritage Foundation's plan cannot be justified. Targeting individual editors rather than debating their content is clearly a dangerous escalation.'
Critics described the letter by House Republicans as the latest attempt to censor criticism of Israel and the spread of inconvenient information, given the Trump administration's moves to expel immigrants for making pro-Palestinian statements.
Adam Johnson, co-host of the political podcast Citations Needed, pointed out on X that Republican lawmakers are working with the ADL and the Atlantic Council to force Wikipedia to comply with Israeli and NATO positions. Johnson noted that this is happening at a time when many Americans, including the vast majority of Democrats, oppose supporting Israel and believe it is committing genocide.
House republicans working with the ADL and Atlantic Council to discipline Wikipedia into parroting the Israeli and NATO line. You know, to fight “hate” and “disinformation” or whatever https://t.co/z8tkgKeNIy
— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) August 28, 2025
Related Posts:
in Note, Posted by logu_ii