Content and Conduct: How English Wikipedia Moderates Harmful Speech

Abstract

In this study, we aim to assess the degree to which English-language Wikipedia is successful in addressing harmful speech with a particular focus on the removal of deleterious content. We have conducted qualitative interviews with Wikipedians and carried out a text analysis using machine learning classifiers trained to identify several variations of problematic speech. Overall, we conclude that Wikipedia is largely successful at identifying and quickly removing a vast majority of harmful content despite the large scale of the project. The evidence suggests that efforts to remove malicious content are faster and more effective on Wikipedia articles compared to removal efforts on article talk and user talk pages.