Controversial content/Problems
(English) This is an essay. It expresses the opinions and ideas of some Wikimedians but may not have wide support. This is not policy on Meta, but it may be a policy or guideline on other Wikimedia projects. Feel free to update this page as needed, or use the discussion page to propose major changes. |
Many multimedia file searches in Wikipedia yield unexpected erotic or sexual content, up to and including an old hardcore porn video showing sex with a dog presented as the top result for the French words for "homework" and "holidays" (viewed an average of about 15,000 to 30,000 times a month since its upload in January 2012, finally deleted in July 2012). Searching for an image of a toothbrush, a top result shows a woman masturbating with an electric toothbrush. A small number of articles in Wikipedia have actual hardcore porn videos that have passed out of copyright embedded in them. As more old films pass out of copyright, their number is likely to increase. In early 2012, a German Wikipedia administrator was indicted under an anti-pornography law for embedding one of these videos in a German Wikipedia article.
The Wikimedia community does not follow 18 USC 2257 record keeping requirements, and does not post compliance statements on any pages featuring images of real people engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Related discussions: [1][2][3]
Commons (and Multimedia searches in all Wikipedias)
[edit]All the searches below give the same or very similar results whether performed in Wikimedia Commons or using Wikipedia's multimedia search.
Many searches for common terms unexpectedly show sexual content
[edit]- Children's toys and activities
- commons:special:search/all:jumping ball (woman using a jumping ball's handle for sexual stimulation; cf. Google result)
- commons:special:search/all:ball / [4] (woman using a jumping ball's handle for sexual stimulation)
- commons:special:search/all:doll / [5] (bondage image)
- commons:special:search/all:gamer / [6] (sexualized image)
- commons:special:search/all:muppet toys / [7] (erotic image of woman in bed playing with muppet toy)
- commons:special:search/all:play / ([8] (close-up photograph of vaginal intercourse)
- commons:special:search/all:skittles / [9] (erotic photograph)
- Race
- Gender terms (some sexual content expected)
- commons:special:search/all:female
- commons:special:search/all:male
- commons:special:search/all:human male / [14]
- commons:special:search/all:male human / [15]
- commons:special:search/all:human female / [16]
- commons:special:search/all:female human / [17]
- commons:special:search/all:woman
- commons:special:search/all:man
- Body parts
- Human activities
- commons:special:search/all:human - with limit=500
- commons:special:search/all:backhand/commons:special:search/all:Rückhand
- commons:special:search/all:coddle
- commons:special:search/all:demonstration
- commons:special:search/all:drinking – better now, file renamed (currently no. 67 in search listing)
- commons:special:search/all:electric toothbrush/commons:special:search/all:Zahnbürste
- commons:special:search/all:shower
- commons:special:search/all:slideshow
- commons:special:search/all:tolling/commons:special:search/all:Glockenläuten
- commons:special:search/all:Zeichenstil
- Flora and fauna
- commons:special:search/all:cucumber
- commons:special:search/all:strawberry - fixed now that one image has been moved[19]; this item has disappeared from the search results
- Other
- commons:special:search/all:auto/commons:special:search/all:Auto
- commons:special:search/all:barnyard
- commons:special:search/all:bathtub
- commons:special:search/all:blue scarf
- commons:special:search/all:bead
- commons:special:search/all:bench
- commons:special:search/all:black dress
- commons:special:search/all:bleach (this one seems fixed)
- commons:special:search/all:clamps
- commons:special:search/all:clothespins
- commons:special:search/all:collar
- commons:special:search/all:crate
- commons:special:search/all:cuff/commons:special:search/all:cuffs/commons:special:search/all:handcuffs
- commons:special:search/all:electrical cords
- commons:special:search/all:furniture
- commons:special:search/all:landing zone
- commons:special:search/all:manual
- commons:special:search/all:nail
- commons:special:search/all:napkin
- commons:special:search/all:pearl necklace (see w:Pearl necklace (sexuality))
- commons:special:search/all:poseidon
- commons:special:search/all:purpose
- commons:special:search/all:scaffold
- commons:special:search/all:shoelace
- commons:special:search/all:snapshot
- commons:special:search/all:stretcher
- commons:special:search/all:underwater
- commons:special:search/all:vintage
- commons:special:search/all:weights
- Proper names
- Place names
- Phrases
- commons:special:search/all:"how it feels" (this has been fixed; the masturbation video no longer shows)
Searches for common terms sometimes also show unexpectedly gruesome content
[edit]- Proper names
- commons:special:search/all:Langenscheidt (w:Langenscheidt is a German publisher of school dictionaries)
- Body parts
- foot (image of foot severed in an accident)
English Wikipedia
[edit]- Early hardcore pornography embedded in articles like w:A Free Ride, w:The Good Old Naughty Days
- Explicit photographs in such articles as w:ejaculation, w:masturbation, w:tit torture, w:cock and ball torture (sexual practice), etc.
- Images of w:Muhammad - w:Talk:Muhammad/FAQ
- Recurrent complaints that our illustrations (primarily of sexual content) are too explicit and/or of poor quality. As of October 20, there are 173 pages that include w:Template:censor on their talk page.[20]
- w:Talk:Creampie_(sexual_act)#Poorly rendered image adds nothing to article; text sufficiently explains the act, w:Talk:Creampie_(sexual_act)/Archive_1#Request_for_Comment
- w:Talk:Ejaculation (and all its archives)
- w:Rorschach test - w:Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Rorschach Test (2010) and w:Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Rorschach test images
- Oct-Nov 2011 Proposal to remove NOTCENSORED protection for "incidental" content deemed objectionable, further discussion
- See also w:WP:BADIMAGES
German Wikipedia
[edit]- Recurrent complaints that our illustrations are too explicit and/or of poor quality
- de:Diskussion:Masturbation#Video_wirklich_nötig? (Masturbation video really necessary?)
- de:Diskussion:Arachnophobie
- de:Diskussion:Meningitis#Abbildungen (gory autopsy image of an opened skull used in German meningitis article)
- In early 2012, a German Wikipedia administrator was indicted for spreading pornographic content after he had embedded an actual, old hardcore pornography film in the German Wikipedia article on pornography. Report in the German community newsletter (complete with NSFW illustration).
French Wikipedia
[edit]If you search for "devoirs" (= homework) or "vacances" (= holiday) on French (or any other) Wikipedia, you're presented with a porn video in which a man and a woman engage in sex acts (cunnilingus and fellatio) with a dog.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Devoirs_de_vacances.ogv
Question on the public Wikimedia mailing list (no response): http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2012-March/072463.html
Update: This video has now been deleted.
Media coverage
[edit]- John Brandon, Why is Wikipedia still doling out porn?, Fox News, February 24, 2012
- Jack Stuef, The Epic Battle For Wikipedia's Autofellatio Page, Buzzfeed, April 2012
- Jack Stuef, Wikipedia's Kiddie Porn Problem: Wikipedia's self-policing isn't working, Buzzfeed, April 2012
- Soulskill, What Should We Do About Wikipedia's Porn Problem?, Slashdot, June 1, 2012
- Andrew Keen, Keen On… Larry Sanger: Does Wikipedia Need To Be Censored? [TCTV], TechCrunch, June 5, 2012
- Perry Chiaramonte, Porn still No. 1 on Wikipedia, co-founder Larry Sanger warns, Fox News, June 5, 2012
- Bob Johnson, Porn Still A Big Problem for Wikipedia, XBIZ Newswire, June 5, 2012
- Marcus Moretti, This Wikipedia Cofounder Thinks The Site Has Too Much Porn, And He Doesn't Regret Quitting, Business Insider, June 6, 2012
- Paul Sawers, Wikipedia co-founder's screencast of the online encyclopedia's porn problem, The Next Web, June 11, 2012
- Angela O'Brien, Loads of Porn on Wikipedia warns co-founder, LifeSiteNews.com, June 12, 2012
- Pippa Smith, Sexualisation of Children – Protecting Innocence Online, Huffington Post, June 19, 2012
- Christopher Williams, Chairman of Wikipedia charity banned after pornography row, The Telegraph, July 31, 2012
- Christopher Williams, Chairman of Wikipedia charity banned after pornography row, Irish Independent, July 31, 2012
- Niki May Young, Wikimedia UK board supports chairman banned from editing Wikipedia, Civil Society Media, July 31, 2012
- Gary Cutlack, Bondage Porn Links Earn UK Wikipedia Charity Boss a Ban, Gizmodo, July 31, 2012
- Kevin Morris, Wikipedia chairman banned after pornography row, The Daily Dot, July 31, 2012
- Staff, Chairman of Wikimedia in UK banned from editing after pornography fracas, Scottish Times, July 31, 2012
- Morgane Macé, Le président de Wikimédia UK banni pour violation des règles de Wikipedia, ActuaLitté, 31 July, 2012
- Staff, 50 shades of Wikipedia? UK head banned after bondage porn ties, Fox News, 1 August, 2012
- ANI, Chairman of Wikipedia's UK charity arm banned from editing following 'porn row', News Track India, 2 August, 2012
- Staff, Belangrijk Wikipedia-boefje geband, 925.nl, 2 August, 2012
Larry Sanger's blog posts
[edit]- Larry Sanger, Wikipedia’s porn filter DOA, and a proposal, larrysanger.org, March 07, 2012
- Larry Sanger, What should we do about Wikipedia’s porn problem?, larrysanger.org, May 29, 2012
- Larry Sanger, Jimmy Wales reiterates support for Wikipedia porn filter, larrysanger.org, May 30, 2012
- Larry Sanger, Does Wikipedia have a porn problem? Dad investigates, youtube.com, June 7, 2012
- Larry Sanger, Wikimedia Foundation board officially rejects porn filter, larrysanger.org, July 15, 2012
- Larry Sanger, The Saga of Wikimedia UK and its Chair, larrysanger.org, July 31, 2012