Wikipedia’s Existential Threats Feel Greater Than Ever

As the free online encyclopedia turns 25, it’s facing political opposition, AI scraping, dwindling volunteers, and a public that may no longer believe in its ideals.

In 2010, the FBI sent Wikipedia a letter that would be intimidating for any organization to receive.

The missive demanded that the free online encyclopedia remove the FBI’s logo from an entry about the agency, claiming that reproducing the emblem was illegal and punishable with fines, imprisonment, “or both.” Rather than back down, a lawyer for the Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts Wikipedia, shot back a sharp refusal outlining how the FBI’s interpretation of the relevant statute was incorrect and saying that Wikipedia was “prepared to argue our view in court.” It worked—the FBI dropped the matter.

But the spat presupposed a society based on the rule of law, where a government agency would hear a legal argument in good faith ...