Delhi HC said Friday that the manner in which online encyclopaedia Wikipedia operates by allowing users to edit pages hosted by it is “dangerous”. The court was particularly concerned about open access editing feature, where users can add or delete information about a particular person or entity featured on a Wikipedia page. It was hearing a defamation case filed by a news agency against the platform when it expressed surprise that “anybody” can edit a page on the platform.
Wikipedia’s counsel tried to allay HC’s concerns and explained that its users must comply with the law when creating a page or updating information, and that they have to comply with policies.