Larry Sanger, one of the two founders of Wikipedia, has been blocked from the online encyclopedia after allegedly violating rules against influencing internal decision-making processes. This is evident from his user page and the ensuing debate. The block is the latest peak in a conflict that has been ongoing for two decades.
The specific trigger for the latest escalation was his handling of a so-called WikiProject called Intellectual Diversity. Contrary to Wikipedia’s rules, Sanger had promoted joining the project outside the platform before the weekend. By pointing to the debate about his project on the short messaging service X, he had made impermissible “advertising” for it. According to his user page, Sanger has been blocked “indefinitely”; he himself speaks of the “‘consensus’ of a mob.” There was no fair trial, no accuser, no impartial judge, no jury, and no interpretation of the law, he said.
Shortly after the founding of Wikipedia, the two founders fell out. Sanger accuses the Wikipedia of favoring certain viewpoints while allegedly suppressing conservative voices. After years of absence, Sanger had only become active on Wikipedia again in the fall.
Source: www.heise.de
