this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2025
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Summary

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, plans to use facial recognition and hacked data to identify Wikipedia editors it alleges are promoting antisemitism, according to leaked documents.

The group’s proposed tactics include fake accounts and tracking links, raising privacy concerns among Wikipedia contributors.

This effort, part of Heritage’s Project Esther, follows controversies over Wikipedia’s handling of Israel-related topics, such as labeling the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “unreliable.”

Critics warn this campaign to target editors could violate Wikipedia's rules and escalate tensions over bias accusations.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Come and get me.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Wikipedia is probably the only thing that has survived rounds and rounds of enshitification. Of course they want to destroy it. The fucks are psychopathic, and seriously, if Wikipedia caves I will probably be radicalized.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 hours ago

THIS is the line for you? In spite of everything else?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 hours ago

What are the names and addresses of the people who are saying they're going to do that?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 hours ago

Anyone has an update on the ANI vs Wikimedia legal thats ongoing in India, because the heritage foundation is just throwong around a threat, that Indian judge might actually do it.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 11 hours ago

Normal Brownshirt stuff.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

If you want to download all of Wikipedia just in case

They publish their own database dumps here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Database_download#Where_do_I_get_it.3F

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 hours ago

And you can self-host kiwix and use the compressed zim files available here.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 12 hours ago

Burning Alexandria bcs knowledge works too much anti-oppression.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 14 hours ago

Sounds like we should develop plans to identify and target the heritage foundation.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe it's finally time for me to donate to Wikipedia for the first time.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 16 hours ago

As soon as muskrat targeted them I set up a monthly donation.

[–] [email protected] 185 points 21 hours ago (12 children)

violate Wikipedia’s rules and escalate tensions over bias accusations

after being alive over the last ~10 years, i just can't understand how people still think "rules" matter to republicans. there's literally a convicted felon rapist in the white house and people are still talking about rules, laws, ethics, the constitution, and everything else that USED TO matter.

they're getting every single thing they want, and it's not "rules" that'll ever stop them

[–] [email protected] 19 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It's not just Republicans at this point... It's the entire system. His inauguration itself will be illegal and unconstitutional since he's ineligible to hold office after sparking insurrection. But the Democrats keep climbing over each other to make sure everyone sees how peaceful this transfer of power is.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 14 hours ago

It blows my mind that they keep doing that. Why do they think that going “see, we’re the good guys, and we’re so good that we’re going to peacefully hand over control of every branch of government to the fascists” as though the US population is going to see that a positive. It’s clear now, if it wasn’t before, that their claims of a threat to democracy was just campaign messaging for them, not a real belief. (And to be clear, the Republicans are very much a threat to what passes for democracy in the US.) The Democrats seem all too happy to be in the minority again and rake in the donations from outraged liberals who think that the old rules still apply.

[–] [email protected] 57 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

...people are still talking about rules, laws, ethics, the constitution, and everything else that USED TO matter.

That's because they still believe in the existing institutions that were designed to uphold laws, rules, and ethics, even though those institutions are obviously failing, and have been for some time. I suppose the erosion of said institutions has occurred gradually enough that the full scope hasn't necessarily been apparent to everyone, but it should be by now. Anyone who still believes that these institutions are sufficient for maintaining a stable liberal democracy is just delusional, at this point.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 20 hours ago

Exactly this.

Rule of law is dying, and things like this are what will kill it dead. Thinking you can put a stop to this with lawyers is for the naive or the wealthy.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 16 hours ago

Anyone who still believes that these institutions are sufficient for maintaining a stable liberal democracy is just delusional, at this point.

Twenty years ago, I remember asking my high school teacher about how the legal system here in Australia works cause we don't have a bill of rights. I was told the "traditions of Parliament" would protect free speech and human rights even though it's not written down anywhere...

Fast forward twenty years and Australia's government is fully in the pocket of monopolistic corporations and a handful of elite families who own the top banking industries - mining, gambling, etc.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

"When you're [rich] they just let you do it" - guess who

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

That sounds like a threat to create fear or "terror" towards Wikipedia editors. The heritage foundation are treating closely to looking and acting like terrorists.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 17 hours ago

The heritage foundation are ~~treating closely to looking and acting like~~ terrorists.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 13 hours ago

Opsec is more important than ever. Gangs-talking is real.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 18 hours ago

Awww… are the violent genocidal colonizers feeling insecure and butthurt?

[–] [email protected] 75 points 20 hours ago (11 children)

The Heritage address in Washington DC is extremely easy to look up. I would post it here, but someone would probably ban me for doing unto them what they would do unto us. Still the opportunity to get them before they get you exists.

[–] [email protected] 73 points 19 hours ago

Here ya go: 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, D.C., U.S.- right on the Wikipedia page.

Of course, I wouldn't advise doing anything more than a lively peaceful protest outside. But also I can't stop you from doing something more effective.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 19 hours ago

Let’s-a-go! - Luigi

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 16 hours ago

Sounds like terrorism to me

[–] [email protected] 96 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

So if it’s legal for them to do it to Wikipedia, can we crowd source doing it to them?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Can't doxx people that gladly shout this kind of stuff in public.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 19 hours ago

Consequences make them afraid. And shame works on them too, but only if it is from their kind.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 21 hours ago

Fascists want to attack everything good

[–] [email protected] 31 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

F the Heritage foundation. Just another conservative propaganda machine that twists objective fact to support conclusions or starts with conclusions and eliminates contrary data or nuance until they get what they want.

This is just more Y’all Qaeda sharia law trying to create their own alternative facts and control the narrative.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Attack information. Don't allow the unwashed masses access to data. Don't allow them to think.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

Just headlines, pics and tweets.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 20 hours ago (5 children)

This is why it pisses me off wikipedia makes it impossible to edit using most VPNs or TOR.

Like I understand there is a spam problem, but lots of people don’t feel safe (or straight up can’t) edit using their normal IP.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

What solution would you propose? I assume the main problem is that it supposedly limits Wikipedia's ability to ban people that would otherwise just make another account? Maybe they could limit VPN editing to accounts with 500 edits or whatever.

In any case now seems like a great time to prod them to reconsider this policy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

I would propose you be allowed to create a new account using a VPN or TOR, and to prevent abuse, your first 5 edits are vetted before they are accepted and only after 5 accepted edits you get the privileges of a normal wikipedia account.(current policy is that everyone has editing priviledges without vetting, but VPN and TOR IP’s are blocked).

Also I think it’s ridiculous that an already established account can get banned from wikipedia if they did nothing wrong except make a wikipedia edit using TOR.

The main problem with TOR on wikipedia before it was banned was that people would make vandalism bots that created immense spam and avoided being IP blocked by using TOR. IMO the “pending edits” function would make an account like that basically a non-problem.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

It's like George Orwell was a prophet.

[–] atzanteol 14 points 20 hours ago

He was a (recent) historian... 1984 was modeled on the Soviet Union and nazism.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 20 hours ago

Maybe I am naive, or was too hopeful, but considering how astroturfed all platforms are by nation states and other bad actors, I only now realized Wikipedia could be extremely compromised due to their inability to withstand such attacks. The internet is over.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 20 hours ago

Maybe it’s time for a Fedopedia?

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