The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has been accused of offering to edit an entry on wikipedia in return for a donation. Jeff Merkey a former geek scientist at Novell claims that in 2006 Wales asked to edit his uncomplimentary Wikipedia entry to make it more complimentary in exchange for some donation. Where Merkey claims of donating a some of £2500 donation in 2006 and the edit history for his Wikipedia entry showed that,around the same time, changes were made to the entry after it had been wiped out completely before editors were allegedly ordered to start all over again. Merkey’s allegations were published in a statement on a Wikipedia mailing list. On the same mailing list, Wales called the allegations “nonsense”. Jay Walsh, a spokesman for Wikipedia, said it was an “absolutely false allegation”. “Jimmy never made this offer, and of course this is a practice the Wikipedia Foundation would never condone,” he added. The claim is the most recent in a spate of allegations against Wales, who was accused last week by a former Wikipedia executive of improperly using the non-profit organisation’s funds for his own lavish recreation.
The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has been accused of offering to edit an entry on wikipedia in return for a donation. Jeff Merkey a former geek scientist at Novell claims that in 2006 Wales asked to edit his uncomplimentary Wikipedia entry to make it more complimentary in exchange for some donation.
