Government puts Wikipedia on notice, points out complaints of 'bias and inaccuracies'

Wikipedia was issued a notice by the government over concerns of “bias and inaccuracy” on the website, according to a report. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting contacted the free encyclopaedia, questioning why the platform should be treated as an intermediary and not as a publisher. The government notice comes amid the ongoing case in the Delhi High Court where the online encyclopaedia faces allegations of protecting users who added defamatory edits on the page of Asian News International (ANI).

According to a report in The Economic Times, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting raised several concerns including the instances of bias and inaccuracies on the website as well as the editorial control being concentrated in the hands of a few persons.

Additionally, the ministry also asked the online encyclopaedia why it should not be treated as a publisher instead of an intermediary, as per the report. Wikipedia does not classify itself as a publisher and instead says it operates on a volunteering system where users create, edit, and manage pages across a diverse range of topics.