Kathmandu— Larry Sanger, a co-founder of Wikipedia, has warned that the online encyclopedia has transformed into a compromised propaganda tool used to promote a specific ideological consensus. Speaking in an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, Sanger argued that the platform's current governance allows for the promotion of globalist, academic, secular, and progressive viewpoints, which are now being ingested by artificial intelligence models as factual reference material.

Concerns Over Ideological Bias

Sanger argued that Wikipedia's lack of an adequate governance structure has allowed specific ideological viewpoints to shape its content. He claimed the platform has moved toward a consensus that is inherently globalist, academic, secular, and progressive.

"Wikipedia was recognized early on as an important propaganda organ," Sanger told Berliner Zeitung. He noted that the platform's anonymity policy makes it difficult to track who is editing content, but maintained that the platform is already compromised.

Evidence Of External Influence

The discussion of external interference traces back to 2007, when programmer Virgil Griffith created WikiScanner. The tool linked anonymous edits to specific IP addresses, revealing that organizations such as the CIA, FBI, and various corporations had made changes to Wikipedia articles, including modifications to Iraq War casualty figures.

Sanger emphasized that the CIA has already edited the site, a fact he believes is well-documented.

The AI Amplification Risk

A primary concern for Sanger is the intersection of Wikipedia's content and the development of artificial intelligence. He argued that any ideological bias embedded within the encyclopedia is being amplified because large language models increasingly rely on Wikipedia as a primary reference source for answering factual queries.

This reliance creates a feedback loop where potentially biased information is treated as objective truth by AI systems.

Calls For Structural Reform

To combat these issues, Sanger proposed a series of sweeping reforms intended to increase accountability and transparency. His proposals include requiring public identities for senior functionaries and implementing due-process protections in disciplinary cases.

Additionally, Sanger suggested the introduction of public article ratings and the election of officials who would be responsible for setting Wikipedia's overarching policies.

Growing Criticism From Global Actors

Sanger is part of a growing chorus of critics. Conservative commentators have frequently accused the donation-reliant platform of abandoning its promise of neutrality on contentious topics. Elon Musk has also been a vocal critic, once mockingly referring to the site as "Wokipedia."

International criticism has also emerged from Russia. In 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the platform of containing outright fabrications and almost always reflecting a Western-centric interpretation of global events.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.