Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, has publicly asked Elon Musk to investigate whether any branches of the US government pay employees to edit, monitor, or lobby content on Wikipedia.
Larry Sanger’s inquiry, aimed at ensuring the platform’s impartiality, comes amidst concerns about potential governmental overreach in the digital information arena.
In his tweet, Sanger challenged Musk, urging the tech mogul to identify and, if applicable, defund any governmental operations influencing Wikipedia content. His request underscores a broader debate about the neutrality and integrity of information on highly influential platforms like Wikipedia.
Hi @ElonMusk. Wikipedia co-founder here. May I ask you to determine what branches of the U.S. government—if any!—have employees paid to edit, monitor, update, lobby, etc., WIkipedia?
Such operations should be defunded, if any. If there are *none*, we’d like to know. Agree?
— Larry Sanger (@lsanger) February 26, 2025Elon Musk has previously criticized Wikipedia, claiming it is “controlled by far-left activists” and advising his followers against donating to the platform. These comments align with Musk’s broader critique of media and information sources, which he often describes as biased or misleading.
Wikipedia is controlled by far-left activists.
People should stop donating to them. https://t.co/Cjq2diadFY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2024In 2023, Musk highlighted a report alleging that around 40 Wikipedia editors had manipulated content to favour certain political perspectives, particularly those related to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This report intensified Musk’s scrutiny of Wikipedia’s editorial practices and alleged ideological slants.
Potential Actions
Sanger also suggested that US President Donald Trump could take executive action to prevent federal resources from being used to influence Wikipedia. This move would mark a significant step towards separating governmental activities from private sector platforms meant to serve as neutral knowledge repositories.
Hi, @realDonaldTrump—co-founder of Wikipedia here—could I persuade you to use an executive order to make it a policy that neither federal worker hours nor federal moneys may be used to edit Wikipedia or pay for Wikipedia editing?
Thanks in advance. (I voted for you.)
— Larry Sanger (@lsanger) February 27, 2025The request from Sanger, who has been a vocal critic of Wikipedia since his departure in 2002, adds another layer to the ongoing discussion about the role of governments in managing or influencing public information platforms. His concerns reflect a growing call for transparency and accountability in curating and presenting information to the public.
Read: Wikipedia Labels Elon Musk Under ‘Authoritarianism’ Category
As this situation unfolds, the responses from Elon Musk, Wikipedia, and possibly the US government could have far-reaching implications for online information management. Sanger’s call for an investigation highlights concerns about transparency and the broader dynamics of power and influence in the digital age.
