Wikipedia Scam Editors Banned As Celebs Blackmailed Over Page Modifications

Wikipedia Just Dished Out Some Serious Justice To Blackmailing Editors

Scam Wikipedia editors who have been reportedly blackmailing small businesses and celebrities for money to update their Wikipedia pages, have been banned from the site.

Victims include a former Britain's Got Talent contestant and a wedding photographer from Dorset, The Independent reports.

Wikipedia have now banned 381 accounts for what it calls "black hat editing - the practice of accepting or charging money to promote external interests on Wikipedia without revealing their affiliation."

The series of bans follow an investigation, called Orange Moody that began in July.

In a blog, the organisation referred to the accounts as "sock puppets - a term that refers to multiple accounts used in misleading or deceptive ways."

These accounts apparently created around 210 articles that have now been deleted.

This is not the first time Wikipedia has encountered "black hat" editing.

In 2013, a company called Wiki-PR, were blocked from the site after volunteers discovered its controversial paid-for Wikipedia editing services.

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