Congress Probes Wikipedia Over Alleged Anti-Israel Bias and Foreign Manipulation

The U.S. House Oversight Committee letter to Wikimedia CEO Maryana Iskander underscores growing scrutiny of the Foundation’s leadership, tax-exempt status, and role in shaping public knowledge

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has intensified scrutiny of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, amid mounting allegations that foreign actors have exploited the platform to spread disinformation—including anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives.

In an August 27 letter, Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Subcommittee Chairwoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) called on Wikimedia CEO Maryana Iskander to turn over records related to suspected manipulation of Wikipedia entries. The lawmakers cited troubling evidence that hostile networks—including nation-state actors—have engaged in coordinated campaigns to distort articles on Israel and Jewish history, as well as to advance Kremlin-aligned propaganda.

Opening of the new congressional letter. Credit: House Oversight Committee

The request follows a March 2025 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report that documented “systematic efforts to inject anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias” into Wikipedia entries, raising concerns that readers encounter slanted or misleading information under the guise of neutrality. An April investigation by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) likewise described pro-Kremlin editing patterns designed to “poison” Wikipedia articles and influence Western audiences, including through AI training datasets.

“virtually all web-based information platforms must contend with bad actors,” Comer and Mace wrote. “Our inquiry seeks information to help our examination of how Wikipedia responds to such threats and how frequently it creates accountability when intentional, egregious, or highly suspicious patterns of conduct on topics of sensitive public interest are brought to attention.” The Committee gave Wikimedia until September 10 to comply.

Earlier DOJ Scrutiny

The congressional inquiry comes just months after similar concerns were raised by the Justice Department. On April 24, 2025, Ed Martin, then interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, sent a formal letter to the Wikimedia Foundation warning that the organization may be failing to uphold its obligations as a tax-exempt nonprofit under Section 501(c)(3).

According to Martin’s letter—obtained by The Free Press—the Foundation allowed foreign actors to manipulate Wikipedia’s content, including rewriting key historical events and biographies of American officials. Martin argued that such activity undermined both U.S. national security and the neutrality expected of 501(c)(3) organizations.

Beyond editorial bias, Martin raised governance concerns, noting that Wikimedia’s board of directors is composed primarily of foreign nationals. He warned this structure could subvert the interests of American taxpayers, especially given Wikipedia’s dominance in online search and its role in shaping public knowledge through platforms like Google and generative AI models. These AI systems, Martin cautioned, risk “laundering” manipulated narratives into everyday educational and informational tools. The Foundation was instructed to respond by May 15, 2025.

Martin’s letter echoed warnings long raised by investigative journalist Ashley Rindsberg, who has criticized Wikimedia’s “hands-off” approach to editorial oversight and the growing power of coordinated editing groups. Rindsberg and others argue that Wikipedia’s influence has expanded beyond encyclopedic entries, becoming a central reference point for institutions, media outlets, and AI developers—magnifying the consequences of bias and manipulation.

Troubling Board Considerations

Adding to the unease, Wikimedia is reportedly considering Ravan Jaafar al-Taie as a candidate for its board of trustees. Al-Taie has a documented history of inflammatory statements, including allegedly denying the mass rapes committed by Hamas on October 7, accusing Israel of “genocide,” and repeatedly making anti-Israel comments. For critics, her potential elevation to the board underscores a broader problem: the Foundation’s leadership and governance choices appear increasingly out of step with the principles of neutrality and accountability that Wikipedia claims to uphold.

Credit: Alex Gandler on X

Implications for Israel

For Israel and its supporters, the scrutiny could not be more timely. Pro-Israel watchdogs have warned for years that hostile networks, including anti-Israel activists, have leveraged Wikipedia’s open-editing system to promote narratives hostile to the Jewish state. Because Wikipedia entries frequently top Google results, are used as key sources for Large Language Models (LLM’s) like ChatGPT, and shape how conflicts are understood by international audiences, even subtle distortions can have an outsized impact on public opinion.

Congress’s investigation represents the most significant U.S. government inquiry to date into how Wikipedia’s editorial policies intersect with national security and foreign influence. Whether Wikimedia can demonstrate that it is adequately policing bias—particularly antisemitism and anti-Israel disinformation—may determine whether lawmakers pursue further legislative or regulatory remedies.