DROPPING THE BALL

The recent case of cricketer Arshdeep Singh's Wikipedia page being trolled and smeared with false information raises some crucial questions about how such platforms are monitored and administered and where responsibility rests

- Shivanand Pandit

RECENTLY, the government of India summoned administrators of Wikipedia, in response to cricketer Arshdeep Singh's Wikipedia page being edited by trolls who labelled him a "Khalistani". In a cricket-crazy country, his dropped catch in a crucial match against Pakistan would have invited criticism, but distorting his Wikipedia page with falsehoods went beyond the pale.

The Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar through his Twitter handle stated that "no intermediary operating in India can permit this type of misinformation" as it violated the government's hope of a harmless and reliable internet.

Reacting to accusations from the Indian government of "deliberate efforts to incitement," the Wikimedia Foundation, which administers Wikipedia, mentioned that Singh's Wikipedia page had been rectified and secured, with only "trusted editors" now permitted to alter it. The Wikimedia Foundation also stated that none of its officials had been summoned. However, the Wikimedia Foundation has received an email from the IT ministry questioning the event. The Foundation said that it or Wikipedia does not presently have an office in India.