Home Wikipedia to Loosen Controls Tonight

Wikipedia to Loosen Controls Tonight

Wikipedia will roll out the latest changes to its editing policy later tonight, called Pending Changes. The constant struggle to find a way to limit vandalism without a chilling effect on legitimate editing will take a more permissive turn with the change.

Pending Changes is an experimental policy that will put edits made to controversial pages by new or unlogged-in users into a special tab on each page, viewable but not live on the primary page until approved by users given simple editing privileges. In other words, people who haven’t logged in will be able to edit the George Bush page again, their edits will just be held in a public place for approval.

As the Pending Changes page says, “This is an alternative to more restrictive page statuses such as semi-protected and fully protected.”

In an effort to protect the reference site’s usefulness, new “Flagged Revisions” restrictions were implemented discussed last August, but left many users confused. The organization has considered a wide range of solutions to the problem of untrustworthy edits, including color coding passages of text based on the trustworthiness of their authors.

Easier navigation and editing are in the works as well and we have argued that Wikipedia’s biggest contribution to the future could be as a software development platform via analysis of aggregate user activity.

Wikipedia is the sixth most-visted site on the Web according to Alexa, and has made a huge impact on human knowledge. Encyclopedic knowledge before Wikipedia was fundamentally less democratic than it is today.

Thus moves like tonight’s Pending Changes are of great consequence beyond the rules of the site itself.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.