Chairman of Wikimedia UK Resigns Amid Scandal
Board to elect new chairman.
The head of Wikimedia UK has resigned following a scandal that saw him banned from editing articles. Wikimedia.org confirmed today that Ashley Van Haeften has stepped down from his position as Chairman of Wikimedia UK. Jon Davies, CEO of Wikimedia UK said that Van Haeften felt 'there should be no division in the WMUK community over his role as chair.'
"Ashley is keen that there should be no division in the WMUK community over his role as Chair, especially at a time when so many great things are being achieved," Davies wrote in a statement. "He has therefore resigned as Chair. A board meeting, already scheduled for this evening, will see the election of a new Chair."
Van Haeften's decision to step down follows the news that he had been banned from editing articles on Wikipedia. The Telegraph reports that the former Chairman received an indefinite ban on contributing to the English version of Wikipedia by ArbCom. According to the news paper, Van Haeften target personal attacks against people who had concerns about explicit material on Wikipedia and material posted by Van Haeften, including a link to pornography in the biography of a person. Van Haeften is also said to have used multiple accounts to change pages.
Despite resigning from his post as Chairman, Haeften will remain on the Wikimedia board.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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bennaye crapfacednoobWho is he?Reply
Ex-chairman of Wikimedia UK. You can read all about it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Wikimedia-Chairman-Resigns-UK-Porn-Scandal,16616.html -
CaedenV bennayeEx-chairman of Wikimedia UK. You can read all about it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/W 16616.htmlhehehe... classic! Well played sir!Reply -
zoemayne bennayeEx-chairman of Wikimedia UK. You can read all about it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/W 16616.htmlReply
Oh noooooo its an infinite loop! -
CaedenV So... If I am reading this right (poorly written by the way Tom's...) Ashley spent his free time basically slandering individuals (just as illegal in the UK as it is here in the States), and instead of suing him, or even firing him, they took his posting rights away (something that would have been done to any user in wiki-world anyways). Then, in a fit of nerd rage he is quitting his job because he views slander as being 'progress' and that it was part of his job and duty to participate in such slander??!?!Reply
The guy should have been fired the day he was banned from changing posts, and should not have been given the option to quit! -
A Bad Day ReplyThe Telegraph reports that the former Chairman received an indefinite ban on contributing to the English version of Wikipedia
Learn another language or make a liberal usage of online translators with someone to check the translation, resume slandering. -
rohitbaran bennayeEx-chairman of Wikimedia UK. You can read all about it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/W 16616.htmlHaha. Touche!Reply -
alidan i want to know what this slander is?Reply
i learned recently about wiki banning people from the site, people who are relatively important, as in hart fisher, from even having a page on wiki about him... so there are some... odd practices happening in the higher ups of wiki, i want to know if the slander was true, or if it was all false... -
dalethepcman The guy posted a bondage video in the wiki commons, was being bashed by the community for his possible fetish, then repeatedly edited Jimmy Whales (wikipedia's founder) wikipedia page. Surprise, your fired!Reply