The Indian government has issued a notice to Wikipedia, addressing numerous complaints regarding alleged bias and inaccurate information presented on the platform. As part of this notice, the government questioned why Wikipedia should not be classified as a publisher rather than merely an intermediary, according to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI).
The notice from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suggested concerns that a small group of individuals may exert editorial control over Wikipedia’s content. Wikipedia, known for being a free online encyclopedia that allows volunteers to create or edit pages on various topics, is currently facing legal scrutiny in India for claims of providing misleading and defamatory information.
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This development comes as part of an ongoing legal case in the Delhi High Court, where the news agency Asian News International (ANI) is seeking details about users who modified its Wikipedia entry, which allegedly labeled ANI as a “propaganda tool” for the Indian government. Justice Subramonium Prasad expressed skepticism about Wikipedia’s status, stating, “If you are an intermediary, why are you bothered? If somebody else has edited and that addition is without basis, then it comes down. They are not here to protect…”
The court also raised concerns about Wikipedia’s dual claim of being an encyclopedia while simultaneously disavowing responsibility for the accuracy of its content, describing the situation as “troubling.”
