India issues notice to Wikipedia over concerns of bias

Wikipedia is facing mounting regulatory pressure in India as local authorities question whether the platform should continue to enjoy legal protections as a neutral intermediary rather than being classified as a publisher. 

The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice to Wikipedia on Tuesday questioning the encyclopedia’s intermediary status that’s offered to tech platforms in India. The ministry cited concerns about concentrated editorial control and persistent complaints about bias and inaccuracies on the platform.

The notice follows a contentious case in the Delhi High Court, where judges have described Wikipedia’s open editing feature as “dangerous” and threatened to suspend its operations in India. The court is hearing a defamation case brought by news agency Asian News International, which seeks to identify Wikipedia contributors who allegedly characterized the news agency as a “propaganda tool” for India’s government.

Justice Navin Chawla had dismissed Wikipedia’s plea for additional time to respond due to its lack of physical presence in India, warning of initiating contempt proceedings against the platform if it failed to comply with orders to disclose user information. “If you don’t want to comply with Indian regulations, then don’t operate in India,” the judge stated.

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