Wikipedia Sucks!

Anyone who has seen certain items from the book wiki knows about Wikipedia's "special" relationship with eBay and Pierre Omidyar. Thanks to Omidyar Network's open purchase of a seat on the WMF Board of Trustees in 2009, and the installation of Omidyar employee Matt Halprin therein. It cost them $2 million.

And thanks to Josh Gordon (jpgordon), former Chief Engineer at eBay, admin and trusted member of Wikipedia's inner circle since 2004. Josh carefully watches eBay, Criticism of eBay, Pierre Omidyar, Meg Whitman, and a few related articles. Only certain "trusted editors" are permitted to touch them.

This week a major scandal hit the news, involving a 2019 revenge scheme against the Steiners, operators of Ecommercebytes, one of the few websites that routinely runs criticisms and news of eBay. It was conducted by eBay's "Global Security" team, apparently at the behest of eBay CEO Devin Wenig and CCO Steve Wymer (everything automatically denied, Wenig has already left eBay, and the other employees were fired months ago). Now there's a massive federal criminal case. The stench is tremendous.
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/87765980 ... -pornograp
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/new ... -tock.html
https://www.law.com/corpcounsel/2020/06 ... 0518155507
https://www.wired.com/story/ebay-employ ... -campaign/

Business news sites are claiming that the story might impact eBay stock prices. Wenig went to Detroit and became a board member of General Motors. Assholes fail upward in American business.
https://www.investopedia.com/criminal-p ... nd-5025062
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ ... 204535001/

Even though this story is unavoidable in the media this week, it is still NOT listed in any Wikipedia article about eBay. It is barely mentioned in Devin Wenig. Wikipedia admins (especially Josh Gordon) clamped down on the "Criticism of eBay" article in 2017 and are not allowing ANY major changes. Normally breaking news of this type is put in related Wikipedia articles within a few days, sometimes within minutes. Not this time.

A few minutes ago I posted the following to the talkpage of "Criticism of eBay". I guarantee it will vanish without a trace.

heh heh, nearly 24 hours later, it's still there on the talkpage. Josh must be considering that he blew it and is now trying to think of an inobtrusive way out of the trap he built for himself....or is he just so clueless that he won't notice it until someone points it out to him? Whatta chode.

What's happening on AN/I? Just the usual petty shit....Guy purging a critic......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... idents#Guy

The revenge story WAS put deep into the main eBay article a few days ago. It's difficult to find.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:EBay ... ,_feds_say

More than 2 days later and still there. Either Josh is on vacation (he's not, still logging in every day and doing a few edits of patroller-style crap) or I hit a raw nerve. Chances are good-to-excellent he's waiting a few weeks for everyone to "forget". THEN he will delete the comment on the talkpage. The little shit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Crit ... or_scandal?

Almost a week later and it's still on the talkpage. I DID hit a nerve. But still suspect Gordon is waiting for things to "die down" so he can purge all mention of the scandal.

And proof that Wikipediocracy has crawled up its own ass: there is no mention of this on their forum. Jpgordon is almost never mentioned there in recent years, at all. I suppose they will splutter "he's just another old-timer so who cares". An oldtimer who is being openly permitted to COI edit eBay content.

HAHAHA

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/tech ... ation.html

Silicon Valley companies have stacked what they often call their “trust and safety” teams with former police officers and national intelligence analysts.

Oh yeah, great idea. I should note that the WMF version has been incredibly pathetic. Instead of police or other "professionals", we got James Alexander and Philippe Beaudette. If you want vengeance demons, go all the way, you pussies.

“I want her DONE,” Steven Wymer, eBay’s former communications chief, told James Baugh, the company’s former senior director of safety and security. “She is a biased troll who needs to get BURNED DOWN.”

In case there was any confusion, Mr. Wymer added, “I want to see ashes.”

DEFINITELY sounds like Wikipedia......

Go ahead, Josh! COVER THAT UP!

Almost three weeks later.

STILL on the talkpage, and still not put into the article text.....

Yes. Nobody is responsible. I archived that talk page, just in case. http://archive.is/wip/HkKL2
On talk:Ebay, http://archive.is/HkKL2#Arstechnica:_eB ... ,_feds_say
There is silly argument over whether or not this is "criticism." Technically, it is a notable scandal. Wikipedia ontology can be phenomenally naive.

ANOTHER former Santa Clara cop is being prosecuted for this case. There may be others.

https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/yet- ... ng-scandal
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/08/ ... king-case/

Don't tell me WP is "slow to post recent news reports". This was posted within MINUTES of hitting the major news websites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?ti ... =966977467

Almost a month later.....

The comment is still on the "Criticism of eBay" talkpage, and there is still no mention of the scandal in the article....