Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2025-05-14/Disinformation report

Rap mogul and superstar Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) seems to know a lot about how Wikipedia works, who is editing an article related to a court case about him and who is paying them. Or maybe it's just his lawyers or tech team who think they know. You may be surprised how much they likely know, and why I think they know it.

Since this story involves several controversial court cases, The Signpost reminds our readers that anybody accused in court should be considered innocent until the accusations are proven in court. We also remind you that the identities of Wikipedia editors can never be completely proven using only Wikipedia's extensive records – even if they seem to have identified themselves. They may be spoofing or "Joe jobbing" in order to embarrass other people. This reporter is not a lawyer and is not offering legal advice.

The most controversial case involved is the criminal case against Sean Combs, better known as Diddy, who is charged with multiple sex offenses. He has been held in jail without bail since September and the trial is just getting underway. But Jay-Z's case is not about what Diddy did or didn't do. It's about a possible victim, known only as Jane Doe. She has accused both Jay-Z and Diddy of raping her at the same party about 25 years ago when she was 13 years old. She has also withdrawn her rape accusation against Jay-Z, and the details of her story have changed over time. She has said that her lawyer, Tony Buzbee encouraged her to file a civil lawsuit against Jay-Z.

In February Jay-Z filed a civil lawsuit against Buzbee and Doe, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The defamation allegedly occurred on several well known TV and radio programs as well as in court depositions. The extortion allegedly occurred during a legal procedure known as a demand letter. On May 5 Jay-Z amended his civil suit to include a reference to Wikipedia, perhaps not to identify a direct form of defamation or extortion, but as supporting information.

"129. Defendants' actions also undermined Mr. Carter's relationships, and his company Roc Nation's relationships, with their businesses in the sports and entertainment industry. For example, in violation of Wikipedia's rules, Buzbee directed his employees to edit Wikipedia pages to enhance Buzbee's image and damage Mr. Carter's and Roc Nation's reputations. Users with an IP address directly linked to the Buzbee Firm made over 100 positive edits to Buzbee's Wikipedia Page." (- PLAINTIFF SHAWN COREY CARTER'S AMENDED COMPLAINT AND DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL) Filed 05/05/25 Page 38 of 52

It looks easy enough to check out this type of allegation. Did unregistered editors (aka "IP editors") who had a direct connection to Buzbee's law firm make 100 edits at the Wikipedia article Tony Buzbee, adding positive content about Buzbee or removing negative content about him?

This would not be the first court case that involves undeclared paid editing on Wikipedia. In a 2011 London high court case billionaire Louis Bacon won a suit gaining an order against the WMF, The Denver Post, and the publisher of WordPress to identify the authors of alleged defamation on their sites. Bacon was trying to get enough information to sue the now-convicted sex offender former fashion designer Peter Nygard. But a U.S. court would not enforce the U.K. court's order.