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nl.wikipedia.org
The Dutch edition of Wikipedia recently agreed to remove information about a former politician's fraud conviction. |
(UPDATE JUNE 28: After this article was originally published, Wikipedia reinstated the entry discussed here.) Patricia Remak, a former conservative member of the Dutch parliament, recently asked Wikipedia to change its
entry about her -- and got it her way. This act has become a major controversy in the
Dutch blogosphere. Of course, the potential impact is much larger.
From 1998-2002, Remak was a member of parliament for the People's Party for Democracy (VVD). This allowed her to receive a government allowance. However, against the rules, she failed to report other income sources. For this, a Dutch court sentenced her to one year in jail. That punishment was reduced on appeal, but the conviction stood. This case was widely reported in Dutch media.
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Remak asked the Dutch shock blog
Geen Stijl as well as the Dutch version of Wikipedia to remove information about her social security fraud and court sentence, claiming privacy concerns. Earlier this week, Dutch police invited Geen Stijl to a police station to discuss Remak's formal complaint, and does not intend to give in. However, Wikipedia did agree to change the entry, causing a major uproar.
Dutch journalist and blogger Henk Blanken wrote (translated to English here), "I hope Wikipedia will decide to fully reinstate the entry about Remak. And I hope Geen Stijl will continue calling for journalistic freedom. And I hope Patricia Remak will go to court, so she will really learn what the privacy regulation means."
This isn't the first thing or the most controversial thing...
