Summary

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, plans to use facial recognition and hacked data to identify Wikipedia editors it alleges are promoting antisemitism, according to leaked documents.

The group’s proposed tactics include fake accounts and tracking links, raising privacy concerns among Wikipedia contributors.

This effort, part of Heritage’s Project Esther, follows controversies over Wikipedia’s handling of Israel-related topics, such as labeling the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “unreliable.”

Critics warn this campaign to target editors could violate Wikipedia’s rules and escalate tensions over bias accusations.

    • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      …people are still talking about rules, laws, ethics, the constitution, and everything else that USED TO matter.

      That’s because they still believe in the existing institutions that were designed to uphold laws, rules, and ethics, even though those institutions are obviously failing, and have been for some time. I suppose the erosion of said institutions has occurred gradually enough that the full scope hasn’t necessarily been apparent to everyone, but it should be by now. Anyone who still believes that these institutions are sufficient for maintaining a stable liberal democracy is just delusional, at this point.

      • hansolo@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Exactly this.

        Rule of law is dying, and things like this are what will kill it dead. Thinking you can put a stop to this with lawyers is for the naive or the wealthy.

    • Laurel Raven@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      It’s not just Republicans at this point… It’s the entire system. His inauguration itself will be illegal and unconstitutional since he’s ineligible to hold office after sparking insurrection. But the Democrats keep climbing over each other to make sure everyone sees how peaceful this transfer of power is.

      • compostgoblin@slrpnk.net
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        1 year ago

        It blows my mind that they keep doing that. Why do they think that going “see, we’re the good guys, and we’re so good that we’re going to peacefully hand over control of every branch of government to the fascists” as though the US population is going to see that a positive. It’s clear now, if it wasn’t before, that their claims of a threat to democracy was just campaign messaging for them, not a real belief. (And to be clear, the Republicans are very much a threat to what passes for democracy in the US.) The Democrats seem all too happy to be in the minority again and rake in the donations from outraged liberals who think that the old rules still apply.

  • collapse_already@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    The Heritage address in Washington DC is extremely easy to look up. I would post it here, but someone would probably ban me for doing unto them what they would do unto us. Still the opportunity to get them before they get you exists.

  • don@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Sounds like we should develop plans to identify and target the heritage foundation.

  • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Wikipedia is probably the only thing that has survived rounds and rounds of enshitification. Of course they want to destroy it. The fucks are psychopathic, and seriously, if Wikipedia caves I will probably be radicalized.

      • 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Not everyone wants to feel like they need to take violent extremist action to fight back against them. What actions have you taken to fight back?

        • untorquer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Where did you get violent extremism from? That’s not radicalization. Though some people who are radicalized choose to incorporate violence as part of direct action it is extremely rare.

          Do some mutual aid for starters. (This is what I’ve done, among other things, i will not elaborate.)

          If you want to fight back on this particular issue and have tech skills you can run counter-intel and expose fashy heritage foundation boys or you could do other methods like decoy or feed false identifying info.

          I’m happy anyone gets motivated to take action. Just a little surprised that it startes with wikipedia editors and not, just for example, palestine or women’s bodily autonomy.

            • untorquer@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Cool, you failed to read the second sentence. That article on mutual aid is fucking insane and paints an idiotic picture on mutual aide. The taliban and religious charity are simply not mutual aid groups, what the fuck. Whole page feels like it was written by a fox news intern…

              I’ll give ya so much as we have two interpretations i guess. Mine aligned better with the article on “Radical Politics”.

              Anyone reading in the future just note the timestamp.

  • noxet@mander.xyz
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    1 year ago

    Maybe it’s finally time for me to donate to Wikipedia for the first time.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    F the Heritage foundation. Just another conservative propaganda machine that twists objective fact to support conclusions or starts with conclusions and eliminates contrary data or nuance until they get what they want.

    This is just more Y’all Qaeda sharia law trying to create their own alternative facts and control the narrative.

  • HorikBrun@kbin.earth
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    1 year ago

    Attack information. Don’t allow the unwashed masses access to data. Don’t allow them to think.

  • boogiebored@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Maybe I am naive, or was too hopeful, but considering how astroturfed all platforms are by nation states and other bad actors, I only now realized Wikipedia could be extremely compromised due to their inability to withstand such attacks. The internet is over.