Over 300 fake Wikipedia accounts traced to single company

Wikipedia the community generated online encyclopaedia has named and shamed a Texas PR agency that created over 300 fake accounts used to edit entries on the site.

The Wikimedia foundation a not-for profit organisation responsible of the site has served the PR company with a ‘cease and desist’ letter to stop manipulating articles and discussions.

The PR Company ‘Wiki-PR’ was caught practicing ‘meatpuppetry’ as a result of an investigation by the company in October.

‘Meatpuppetry’ is an online practice where fake identities are used to create consensus around a discussion for the side that commissions it.

A letter from Wikipedia’s lawyers, warned Wiki-PR: "We have come to the opinion that, based on the evidence we have to date, that agent(s) of your company have engaged in sockpuppetry or meatpuppetry to, among other things, make it appear as if certain articles are written by unbiased sources when in fact those articles are authored by Wiki-PR for money."

Wikipedia are concerned that the reputation of Wikipedia has been damaged by association with the PR firm and will consider further legal action unless the firm stops its activities.