As we described, it’s difficult to introduce clear falsehoods or remove references to reliable sources on Wikipedia thanks to its community of volunteers. This is especially true for pages that attract a lot of attention, as Mandelson’s page would have at the time.

As such, the attempt to edit out Mandelson’s suggestion that Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful ultimately failed.

After the account was blocked, it appealed the administrators’ decision, according to Wikipedia’s public records. The user said they were not editing in return for compensation, and that they were simply a “news junkie” who would never undermine the terms of use of Wikipedia. That appeal was denied based on administrators’ investigation and the user declined to appeal again. Another account editing many of the same pages was also blocked for undisclosed paid editing.