For more than a decade, “sockpuppets” who included company employees created “puffery” around Gautam Adani, his family and the apples-to-airport group he helmed by adding non-neutral material and removing warnings from information on Wikipedia, the free Internet-based encyclopedia has alleged.
Adani stocks have tumbled after US short-seller Hindenburg Research a month ago accused the group of accounting fraud, stock price manipulation and money-laundering, allegations the conglomerate has denied while threatening legal action.
Wikipedia has in a February 20 “Disinformation Report” referred to the “con” alleged by Hindenburg to ask: “Did he (Adani) and his employees also try to ‘con’ Wikipedia readers with non-neutral PR versions of related Wikipedia articles?” It went on to answer the question: “Almost certainly they did.”
Wikipedia added: “Over 40later banned or blocked sockpuppets or undeclared paid editors created or revised nine related articles on the Adani family and family businesses. Many of them edited several of the articles and added non-neutral material or puffery.” Wikipedia is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit nearly any page and improve articles immediately. But the principle it operates on is neutrality. A sockpuppet is a phony name or identity created by an online user to argue, bully or review products as another person.
Some of the edits on Adani were by company employees, Wikipedia alleged, listing IP addresses that edited information on Adani, his wife Priti, son Karan, nephew Pranav and group companies. An Adani group spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking comments. Wikipedia said the article or write-up on Adani was started in 2007 in “a straightforward style”. But by 2012 three editors, who were later blocked or banned as sockpuppets or undeclared paid editors, had edited the information on “the philanthropy section, made a few reverts, and removed a warning tax”, it added.
Similar instances we recited for information on the family and the group. “A declared paid editor, using a company IP address, completely rewrote the Adani Group article. Others removed warnings about conflict-of-interest editing. Some created articles by unusual methods that avoided Wikipedia’s quality control systems,” the Internet-based encyclopedia said. It did not provide the exact information that was purportedly added by sockpuppets.
(Wikipedia said: “We remind our readers that no entirely on-Wiki investigation of a user’s edits can completely identify an editor’s name or employer. Even if the editor identifies themself as an employee of a company, they may be simply trying to embarrass the company. We can, however, examine the nearly complete record of edits made to Wikipedia and identify editors that are likely to be sockpuppets, or that appear to be working together with other accounts.”)
“Perhaps the most concerning finding is that Hatchens, an articles-for-creation reviewer, was banned for abusing his position and possibly corruptly approving several Adani articles. He edited seven of the nine articles examined,” Wikipedia said.
Wikipedia said many billionaires had a history of apparently undeclared paid editing on Wikipedia, including Kenneth C. Griffin (paywall), Robert T. Brockman, Robert F. Smith and several Russian oligarchs. Adani’s net worth has shrunk to about $49 billion from close to $120 billion before January 24, when Hindenburg released a report titled “Adani group: How the world’s 3rd richest man is pulling the largest con in corporate history”. The group has dismissed the allegations as “malicious”.
