September 15, 2021: Seven Chinese users have been banned by the foundation that oversees Wikipedia from its websites globally after a report that alleged mainland Chinese Wikipedia editors threatened Hong Kong users.

The foundation has also revoked administrator access and other privileges for 12 other users said on Tuesday.

In July, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) revealed that mainland Chinese Wikipedia editors allegedly threatened to report Hong Kong users for national security violations, posing a physical risk to them.

Maggie Dennis, Wikimedia Foundation's vice president of community resilience and sustainability, said in a statement on Tuesday that the foundation investigated an "unrecognised group" of Wikipedia users from mainland China and identified "security risks" relating to "infiltration of Wikimedia systems, including positions with access to personally identifiable information and elected bodies of influence".

HKFP also reported on fears among Hong Kong users over election canvassing within the online encyclopedia as users from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan angled for coveted administrator access.

Wikipedia hosts elections for users wishing to become administrators, who enjoy more access to users and greater powers to edit articles, according to some reports.

Report also claimed that users of the Chinese edition were engaged in election canvassing outside of Wikipedia. As they were trying to ensure the election of mainland administrators. (ANI)