The government has put Wikipedia on notice with reference to complaints of bias and inaccuracies in volunteer-controlled entries in the popular and free online encyclopaedia, sources told NDTV Tuesday.
Sources said the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has pointed to a select group with editorial control and asked Wikipedia why it should not be treated as a 'publisher' instead of an 'intermediary'.
The notice comes amid a legal battle in the Delhi High Court, in which news agency Asian News International, or ANI, has demanded information about users who made edits to an entry about the firm; the alleged edit referred to ANI as "the propaganda tool" of the Indian government.
On Friday, in the most recent hearing in this case, the court quizzed Wikipedia reps over its claim of being a "free encyclopaedia" and observed the website could not refuse to provide the information sought since it claims to be an 'intermediary' and not a 'publisher' of information.
"If you are an intermediary, why are you bothered? If somebody else has edited and that addition is without basis, then it comes down. They are not here to protect..." Justice Subramonium Prasad said, according to legal news website Bar and Bench. The court also noted that it was "troubling" that Wikipedia claimed to be an encyclopaedia while also warning it does not endorse its content.
To this, senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Wikipedia, said users of the website were warned that the information is from secondary sources. The court, though, was unimpressed with this line of argument, reasoning a mere disclaimer could not fully absolve Wikipedia of responsibility.
Appearing for ANI, advocate Sidhant Kumar claimed no further edits were being allowed on the page in question and the clarifications provided by the news agency were not being entertained. "There is not a single positive word to be said about me. The cabal of editors do not allow it," Mr Kumar had said.
The court did, however, acknowledge Article 19(1)a of the Constitution, which guarantees Indian citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression, and said "... thumb rule is to bend in favour of the maker of the statement and not vice versa".
The court will next hear this matter on Wednesday.
Last month, in a separate hearing on the same matter, the High Court issued a contempt of court notice to Wikipedia over withholding information about users who made the edits.
READ | "If You Don't Like India...": Delhi High Court's Tough Talk For Wikipedia
The court warned Wikipedia against non-compliance with Indian laws, declaring "if you don't like India, please don't work in India... we will ask government to block your site."
In July the Wikimedia Foundation released a statement on the case filed by ANI, identifying itself as a "technology host" and explaining it does not add to or edit content published on Wikipedia.
This content is "determined by its global community of volunteer editors... who compile and share information on notable subjects", the Foundation said.
Wikipedia faces damages claim of Rs 2 crore from ANI, which has also sought directions to remove the edits and prevent publishing of such content in the future.
Founded in 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, the website is run by the Wikimedia Foundation, which is based in San Francisco in the United States.
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