Congressional Republicans investigating Big Tech for gross brain-washing operation

The GOP is cracking down on Big Tech. They won’t let them get away with their deceitful actions.

And congressional Republicans are investigating Big Tech for this gross brain-washing operation.

House Republicans have kicked off an investigation into claims that U.S. academics and foreign actors are teaming up to tweak Wikipedia entries, aiming to shape public views on hot-button issues like Israel and Ukraine. The probe, spearheaded by the House Oversight Committee, casts a spotlight on the integrity of a platform millions turn to for answers.

Wikipedia, the crowd-sourced encyclopedia, is the 11th most-visited site in the U.S., often the first stop for those diving into controversial topics or figures. Its open-editing system, where anyone can revise content and volunteer editors hash out disputes, has long fueled concerns about bias. Even co-founder Larry Sanger has pointed to slanted coverage of current events.

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) fired off demands to Wikipedia, citing reports from the Atlantic Council, a pro-Ukraine think tank, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fights antisemitism.

The Atlantic Council’s April report alleged that pro-Moscow operatives are using a web of fake news sources “as an information laundromat, amplifying and saturating the news cycle with tropes emanating from Russian news outlets and Kremlin-aligned Telegram channels.” These sources, it claims, are “posing as authoritative sources on Wikipedia…rewriting the story of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

The ADL, in a March report, flagged a group of at least 30 editors who allegedly “circumvent Wikipedia’s policies in concert to introduce antisemitic narratives, anti-Israel bias, and misleading information.”

These editors, the report said, were “much more likely than other editors to communicate with each other on Wikipedia” and seemed to “coordinate to change pages related to Israel, Palestine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, downplaying Palestinian antisemitism, violence, and calls to destroy Israel while foregrounding criticism of Israel.”

Comer and Mace voiced concerns about “efforts of foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars to influence U.S. public opinion.”

In a letter, they demanded documents and communications about Wikipedia editors who may have breached platform rules, as well as details on how Wikipedia tackles organized attempts to skew sensitive topics. “Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences,” their letter noted.

The lawmakers highlighted two key reports: one suggesting “potentially systematic efforts to advance antisemitic and anti-Israel information in Wikipedia articles related to conflicts with the State of Israel,” and another exposing hostile state actors pushing pro-Kremlin, anti-Western narratives through Wikipedia and other sources used to train AI chatbots.

While the ADL and Atlantic Council reports don’t directly point to U.S. academic institutions, any evidence of their involvement could spark a political firestorm. The Trump administration has already halted federal grants to top universities over anti-Israel protests tinged with antisemitism.

President Trump recently called for Harvard University to pay a $500 million fine for apparently failing to curb antisemitism, after Columbia University faced a $200 million fine.

Pinpointing responsible editors could be tricky, as many are anonymous. An account linked to a university’s IP address might belong to a professor, a student, or someone else entirely, making accountability hard to pin down.

This probe follows Republican pushback against political pressure on web platforms during the Biden administration.

In October 2020, 51 former U.S. intelligence officials wrongly suggested Russian ties to New York Post reports about President Biden’s connections to his son Hunter’s business dealings in China and Ukraine. The current investigation isn’t pushing for censorship but seeks a “better understanding of the individuals caught engaging in prohibited behavior.”

U.S. law bars foreign actors from conducting unregistered public relations work or hiring others to do so. Comer and Mace stressed that Wikipedia, like other online platforms, grapples with bad actors.

“The Committee recognizes that virtually all web-based information platforms must contend with bad actors and their efforts to manipulate,” they wrote. “Our inquiry seeks information to help our examination of how Wikipedia responds to such threats and how frequently it creates accountability when intentional, egregious, or highly suspicious patterns of conduct on topics of sensitive public interest are brought to attention.”

The Republicans gave Wikipedia until September 10 to hand over internal communications about alleged anti-Israel and anti-Ukraine bias, plus “[r]ecords showing identifying and unique characteristics of accounts (such as names, IP addresses, registration dates, user activity logs) for editors subject to actions by [Wikipedia’s Arbitration Committee].”

Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.