Wikipedia Volunteer Uncovers Decade-Long Campaign That Created 335 Articles About One Composer

Wikipedia Exposes Composer’s Decade-Long Sockpuppet Scheme

In the shadowy corners of Wikipedia’s vast editing ecosystem, where volunteers tirelessly curate the world’s knowledge, a recent investigation has exposed what may be the most audacious self-promotion scheme in the platform’s history. A dedicated editor known as Grnrchst embarked on a meticulous probe that unraveled a decade-long operation centered on American composer David Woodard. What began as a curiosity about Woodard’s Wikipedia page, whic…

Wikipedia Volunteer Uncovers Decade-Long Campaign That Created 335 Articles About One Composer

Wikipedia volunteer Grnrchst uncovered a decade-long campaign that created articles about composer David Woodard in 335 languages. The investigation identified 200 accounts and IP addresses systematically creating Woodard articles across 92 languages between 2017 and 2019, averaging one new article ...

Ars Technica: Dedicated volunteer exposes “single largest self-promotion operation in Wikipedia’s history” | ResearchBuzz: Firehose

Ars Technica: Dedicated volunteer exposes “single largest self-promotion operation in Wikipedia’s history”. “A network of accounts with an unusual interest in Woodard was identified, and its activities over the last decade were mapped. Starting in 2015, these accounts inserted [David] Woodard’s name ‘into no fewer than 93 articles (including “Pliers,” “Brown pelican,” and “Bundesautobahn”), often referencing self-published sources by Woodard him…