<nettime> paid Wikipedia editing services

[Geert Lovink via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

Dear all,

for those interested in Wikipedia, over the past weeks I received a number of commercial offers to edit my Wikipedia page. I have included some of the email correspondences below. I wondered, perhaps these guys are real but they may as well be fake, AI chatbots, scammers etc. Michael Mandilberg adviced me to ask for their usernames. As you might know, one cannot edit ones own page, so what’s to be done? Nor care at all? Pay? Ignore? 

Wikipedia researcher Heather Ford from UTS in Sydney wrote to me on this topic: "I have received about 20 of these emails from paid “editors” and my colleagues have forwarded others. It seems like a pandemic and so I’m also quite shocked at how the only available response is a private one (i.e. the suggestion just to mark it as spam).  In our interviews for a podcast we’re making about Wikipedia it seems that paid editing is rife these days. Often it isn’t super harmful and so editors just turn a blind eye because it’s just too hard to prove/stop." 

I start with the response of the Wikipedia conflict of interest volunteer response team.

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From: paid-en-wp@wikipedia.org

Dear Geert Lovink,

Thank you for reporting this. There are many paid editing companies out there that look through recently-declined drafts or contact people with public careers and contact information to send this kind of solicitation. Very few of them comply with Wikipedia's paid-editing policies, most are outright scams, and none are endorsed by Wikipedia, no matter what they may say. Feel free to ignore future emails like this, and we recommend marking them as spam.

Note that, even if they provided you with a username, there is no way to know if the person you are communicating with is the person who operates the account in the username that they give.  Anyone can claim to be any user, and scammers impersonating actual Wikipedia editors is a common practice.

Sincerely,
331dot

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From: Patrick Winters <patrickwinters.wiki@gmail.com>

Dear Geert,

Thank you for your message. You are absolutely right, as the subject of the article, you are not permitted to edit your own Wikipedia page due to Wikipedia’s conflict-of-interest policy.

You are also correct that Wikipedia relies on volunteers; however, the number of active volunteers who are able to review, correct, and maintain individual pages is quite limited. As a result, many individuals and organizations choose to work with independent freelance Wikipedia editors who are familiar with Wikipedia’s policies and editorial standards to help bring articles into compliance. In that context, yes, this would be a professional, paid service, not an obligation or a trap in any way.

I am an independent freelance Wikipedia editor with over ten years of experience. I have reviewed your page and noted that it currently contains several maintenance warning tags that may affect its credibility and long-term stability:
“Some of this article’s listed sources may not be reliable.”

This tag indicates that certain references do not meet Wikipedia’s reliability standards. Wikipedia requires sources to be independent, reputable, and editorially controlled, such as established media outlets, academic publications, or recognized publishers.

“This article’s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia’s policies or guidelines.” This means that some external links may be promotional, self-published, or otherwise inconsistent with Wikipedia’s external linking guidelines, and may need to be removed or replaced. “This article needs additional citations for verification. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.” This tag indicates that statements within the article lack sufficient citations. For biographies and factual articles, Wikipedia applies strict verification standards, and unsupported content is at risk of being removed.

My editing process would involve a full policy-compliance review of the article, replacing or removing unreliable sources and non-compliant external links, adding high-quality and independent citations, restructuring sections where needed, and ensuring the article aligns fully with Wikipedia’s neutrality and verification requirements. The objective is to improve the article’s quality, remove the maintenance tags, and stabilize it for long-term acceptance.

I would be happy to assist you in bringing your page to a solid and compliant standard. This is offered as a one-time professional service. If you are interested in proceeding, please let me know. Should you wish to move forward, kindly share your CV so I can prepare the necessary materials and begin the work.

Best regards,
Patrick

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 From: Allistor Blake <allistorwikieditor@gmail.com>

  Hi Geert,
  I hope you’re doing well.
  Just a quick heads-up that your Wikipedia page currently has maintenance tags, which indicate issues that may affect how the article is viewed by readers and editors. The content also appears quite restricted and may not fully reflect your professional achievements.
  If you’re interested, I can help review the page and suggest improvements in line with Wikipedia’s content policies and sourcing standards. Any work would focus on accuracy, neutrality, and long-term stability.

Let me know if you’d like to discuss this further.

Best regards,
Allistor Blake
Wikipedia Editor | User

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From: Allistor Blake <allistorwikieditor@gmail.com>

Hello Geert,

As you are aware, your Wikipedia page currently has multiple issues and is not fully compliant with Wikipedia’s guidelines and policies. You are absolutely correct that, according to Wikipedia’s rules and ethics, individuals should not edit their own pages, and I appreciate you for respecting and following the policies of this reputable platform.
At present, there are four major warning tags on your article, along with misinformation and vandalized content. This content may have been added by individuals who do not support your work or who may intend to harm your credibility on the platform. These issues need to be resolved in a timely manner because if they persist and a Wikipedia administrator reviews the page, it could lead to further scrutiny. In some cases, pages that do not align with Wikipedia’s guidelines and policies are even nominated for deletion.

These ongoing issues are negatively affecting your credibility and notability, and the article is currently not written in an encyclopedic manner. It requires a complete rewrite so that it accurately reflects your achievements, career, and contributions. At the moment, there are two warning tags at the top of the page and two additional warning tags within the sections below, making a total of four warning tags on the article.

My approach moving forward is straightforward and aligned with Wikipedia’s best practices. To proceed correctly, I kindly ask you to share your most recent CV. This will allow me to conduct in-depth independent research, identify appropriate third-party reliable sources, and properly align citations with the article content. This process is essential to ensure the page fully complies with Wikipedia’s credibility and verification standards.

Once I receive your CV or résumé, I will begin work immediately and aim to remove the existing warning tags within three to four business days. Following that, I will prepare a professionally updated and expanded version of your article that incorporates the latest verified information supported by reliable references. I will share this draft with you for review, and once you approve it, I will publish the updates live on your Wikipedia page..

The total fee for this service is $800. This includes resolving and removing all existing warning tags, conducting comprehensive research, rewriting the article in full compliance with Wikipedia standards, adding verified third-party references, and providing three months of post-update maintenance. During this period, I will monitor the page to help keep it stable and protected from false edits or future warning tags.

If everything sounds good to you, kindly share your updated CV, Please also let me know your preferred payment method so we can proceed smoothly with the next steps.

If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to reach out, and I would be happy to assist. I look forward to your email.

Thank you,
Allistor

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From: Allstor Blake <allistorwikieditor@gmail.com>

Hello Geert,

I truly appreciate you taking the time to consult the Wikimedia Foundation directly, very few people take that step, and it shows a genuine effort to understand the situation rather than opting for extreme measures like page removal.

You are absolutely correct that paid editing must be disclosed. However, there is an important nuance that may not have been fully explained. While disclosure can be made on the article’s talk page, Wikipedia also allows paid editors to disclose privately on their own user talk page, which fulfills the policy requirement without negatively affecting the public perception of the article itself. This is a compliant approach I have used many times over the past decade of working on Wikipedia.

As you mentioned, requesting changes via the article talk page is possible, but in practice, volunteer editors often do not review such requests for months or sometimes much longer, making it an uncertain and slow process.

Given your understandable concerns, I’d like to propose a risk-free approach:

• You do not pay anything upfront.
• I will first address and remove the warning tags on your page, while ensuring full disclosure in line with Wikipedia’s guidelines and policies.
• Once you see the results firsthand and are satisfied, our finance team can issue an invoice.
• After that, I will work on a fully expanded and updated draft of your article (completed within 5–6 days), which I will share with you for review and approval.
• Upon your final approval, the draft will be published live on your Wikipedia page.

I will also provide three months of maintenance, ensuring the edits remain stable and the article continues to reflect your career accurately and compliantly over the long term.

If available, please feel free to share your updated CV. If not, no problem at all, I can conduct the research independently.

Let me know if this approach works for you, and I’ll begin right away.

Looking forward to your reply.
Best regards,
Allistor

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Allistor Blake <allistorwikieditor@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Geert,

please note that an updated CV is not required. My intention in asking for it was simply to save time if you already had one available. If not, that is absolutely fine, as I am fully able to proceed without it. I can independently research the relevant information and sources, so this will not be an issue at all.

As a media theorist and critic of digital culture, including your activities such as participating in the “Quit Facebook” protest, I am already familiar with your work and background. I am confident that I can structure and shape your Wikipedia page in a way that properly reflects each section of your career and contributions, fully aligned with Wikipedia’s guidelines and policies. I have a clear understanding of the work required on your page, and my approach is straightforward: to fix the entire article by addressing the warning tags, creating relevant and well-organized sections, and expanding the content where necessary.

Given that you have published a significant number of books, these should be properly organized under a dedicated bibliography section. This will make it easier for readers who wish to explore or purchase your work. At present, your Wikipedia page follows an outdated structure and requires modernization. The information and achievements currently on the page are not presented in a clear or encyclopedic manner. All notable details should be properly sourced, cited, and arranged into structured sections.

If you look at well-maintained Wikipedia pages such as those of Elon Musk or Johnny Depp, you will see that each section is clearly defined, including areas such as early life, career, and other relevant aspects. Your page should follow a similar structured format, while remaining fully compliant with Wikipedia’s policies. I can ensure that your page is organized in this way and accurately represents your work and achievements.

Considering the circumstances you are facing, I would like to offer you a discounted rate of $600 for the complete project. The total timeline for the work would be one to two business days once you decide to proceed. During this time, I will conduct the necessary research, complete the updates, and finalize the article. As mentioned earlier, I will also provide three months of post-update maintenance, during which I will handle any issues that may arise or make additional updates if needed.

Please let me know if you feel that my services would be beneficial for you, and we can proceed with the next steps accordingly. I look forward to your response.

Thank you,
Allistor




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