Multiple anti-Israel Wikipedia editors are likely to be topic-banned after spreading misinformation and hate across the site, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced on Friday.
The users have been under investigation by the Wikipedia arbitration board following 'disruptive behavior' surrounding their edits on the discussion of Israel and Palestine, according to the Jewish Journal.
Two Pro-Israel editors face being topic-banned as well, the Jewish Journal noted, adding that the bans have yet to be voted on, but will likely occur within the next few days.
The ADL said it welcomed this potential decision, as the multiple users also enacted a 'bad-faith' campaign against the organization, undermining their credibility by editing their page on Wikipedia and claiming they were 'generally unreliable' when it came to the Middle East topic.
"We're pleased that the Wikipedia arbitration board has taken disciplinary action against some editors who, in our view, have spread malicious, false, and biased information about Zionism and Israel across the platform,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, said.
Greenblatt continued, “It's worth noting that several of the chief instigators of the campaign against ADL are among those now facing topic bans or outright bans for their behavior”
Imperative to 'undo the harm'
"In light of this, it is now imperative for Wikipedia to begin work immediately to undo the harm caused by these rogue but prolific editors who literally have wreaked havoc across the platform, causing untold harm to potentially hundreds of entries about Israel, the Oct. 7 massacre, Zionism and topics relating to antisemitism.
"As we have said before, Wikipedia needs to wake up to the reality that this is a systemic problem across the platform that needs immediate action. There is still a lot more that must be done to ensure that Wikipedia can live up to its policy around the encyclopedia holding a neutral point of view.”