Exhibit 1045

Hundreds of "black hat" English Wikipedia accounts blocked following investigation (Wikimedia blog)

Exhibit 1045 · Institutional statement

Hundreds of "black hat" English Wikipedia accounts blocked following investigation (Wikimedia blog)

After weeks of investigation, volunteer editors on English Wikipedia announced today that they blocked 381 user accounts for “black hat” editing.

The Foundation reports that volunteer editors blocked 381 accounts and deleted 210 articles after an investigation (called 'Orangemoody' by editors) into undisclosed paid advocacy. It says the edits were similar enough that the community believes one coordinated group made them, recalls the October 2013 blocks of Wiki-PR accounts and the cease and desist letter, and says not all paid editing violates policy where affiliations are disclosed. The Foundation states the volunteers made the blocks; it names no individual.

Source: Wikimedia Foundation
Date: 31 August 2015
Quoted from: First paragraph
Grade: Primary record
Document: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/08/31/wikipedia-accounts-blocked-paid-advocacy/
Accessed: 2026-11-10
Cited by: Findings citing this exhibit
Note: Orangemoody was a community sockpuppet investigation with the Foundation commenting, not an Arbitration Committee case.

Cited by

Finding INF-3.10: Primary record Volunteer editors banned Wiki-PR on 25 October 2013, and counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation wrote to the firm on 19 November 2013 that undisclosed paid advocacy editing violates the Terms of Use. The Foundation amended the Terms of Use on 16 June 2014 to require paid editors to disclose their affiliation, and on 31 August 2015 it reported that volunteer editors had blocked 381 accounts and deleted 210 articles in the Orangemoody investigation of undisclosed paid advocacy.