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    Wikipedia’s nonprofit status questioned by D.C. U.S. attorney

    (www.washingtonpost.com)
    760 points coloneltcb | 11 comments | 25 Apr 25 23:03 UTC | HN request time: 0.2s | source | bottom
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    mjrpes ◴[25 Apr 25 23:54 UTC] No.43799593[source]▶
    Here's the letter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocNyx34Et19sKtlta0bTPPzSPcp...

    No claims, no evidence. No sources, except "it has come to my attention" and "information received by my office".

    replies(5): >>43799650 #>>43799855 #>>43800768 #>>43801411 #>>43802931 #
    1. simonw ◴[26 Apr 25 00:38 UTC] No.43799855[source]▶
    Yikes that letter is alarming.

    > In view of public criticisms, including those expressed by Wikipedia Co-Founder Dr. Lawrence M. Sanger, regarding the opacity of editorial processes and the anonymity of contributors, what justification does the Foundation offer for shielding editors from public scrutiny?

    Larry Sanger has been criticizing Wikipedia for more than 20 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sanger#Criticism_of_Wiki...

    The author of that letter is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Martin_(Missouri_politician... - "the first U.S. attorney for D.C. in at least 50 years to be appointed without experience as a judge or a federal prosecutor".

    replies(2): >>43801620 #>>43801755 #
    2. ZeroGravitas ◴[26 Apr 25 07:29 UTC] No.43801620[source]▶
    The Heritage Foundation has been open about their desire to strip Wikipedians of anonymity, this is just the government putting that plan into practice:

    https://slate.com/technology/2025/02/wikipedia-project-2025-...

    replies(4): >>43801907 #>>43801914 #>>43802243 #>>43803487 #
    3. the_mitsuhiko ◴[26 Apr 25 08:01 UTC] No.43801755[source]▶
    Getting really bad vibes from this. Plenty of people in power are unhappy with Wikipedia for years. So far it’s an amazing source and surprisingly neutral given the complexity of the problem. Would not want to lose it in a political fight.
    4. satanfirst ◴[26 Apr 25 08:39 UTC] No.43801907[source]▶
    Their entry on Wikipedia is well worth a read:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation

    Kind of explains a lot in the balancing act in Trumps rise to power while trying to look like a marionette for various interests this term. They should remember Hitler's rebellion from his masters.

    5. squarefoot ◴[26 Apr 25 08:40 UTC] No.43801914[source]▶
    If the HF is behind this, then Wikipedia is doomed beyond any legal defense. Back it up entirely and move it overseas.
    replies(1): >>43804866 #
    6. buyucu ◴[26 Apr 25 09:55 UTC] No.43802243[source]▶
    The easiest solution is for the Wikimedia Foundation to move out of Us jurisdiction to a more democratic country.
    replies(1): >>43802629 #
    7. guerrilla ◴[26 Apr 25 11:18 UTC] No.43802629{3}[source]▶
    I don't think that would work. The US would just attack those countries as they are doing right now, trying to force us to give up DEI and ESG.
    replies(1): >>43804790 #
    8. douglasisshiny ◴[26 Apr 25 13:34 UTC] No.43803487[source]▶
    To be more clear, it's operatives of the Heritage Foundation who now work in the government putting this into place. Does anyone think Trump actually does much day to day? He often seems completely unaware of what's going on in his own government. I invite anyway to watch his evening press conferences where he's handed a bunch of Executive Orders, is told what he's signing (he has no clue), and signs it.
    9. grafmax ◴[26 Apr 25 16:03 UTC] No.43804790{4}[source]▶
    It’s questionable whether this bully continues to have as much influence as it thinks it does.
    replies(1): >>43805410 #
    10. grafmax ◴[26 Apr 25 16:11 UTC] No.43804866{3}[source]▶
    Authoritarian regimes thrive on fatalism and despair. But they also inspire resistance. We did not have mass protests a few months ago. Our society is in deep crisis and the outcome can still swing either way.

    For all the progress they’ve made in dismantling our democratic institutions, deep incompetence runs through this administration.

    Our efforts should be still directed to fighting their overreach. It is not the time to retreat.

    11. guerrilla ◴[26 Apr 25 17:18 UTC] No.43805410{5}[source]▶
    I don't see any signs of succesful resistance yet.