Wikipedia has blocked 381 accounts for what it has called “black hat” editing – people being paid to create promotional articles without disclosing who they represent.
The accounts were reportedly run by one co-ordinate group. Most of the articles were related to businesses, business people, or artists.
Some of the businesses alleged that they had been scammed by the rogue editors, Wikipedia said.
Volunteer editors on English Wikipedia announced the move after weeks of probing. The investigation, called “Orangemoody” after the first rogue account identified, revealed that the suspect accounts were “sock puppets” – a term that refers to people creating fake online identities to promote a certain viewpoint, often while having a personal or paid interest.
