A software engineer in Australia has said he was offered payment by Microsoft to edit certain entries in the Wikipedia online dictionary, opening a heated debate about the ethics of such a move.Rick Jelliffe, chief technology officer of XML tools company Topologi, said he will probably accept a contract from Microsoft to edit Wikipedia entries on OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Microsoft Office Open XML (OOXML), competing document format standards.In a blog posting on the O’Reilly website, Jelliffe said he recently received an e-mail from Microsoft saying it wanted to contract someone “independent but friendly” for a couple of days to provide “more balance” on Wikipedia concerning the ODF and OOXML formats. He said he rarely uses Microsoft products and does not imagine he is viewed as a Microsoft enthusiast.Jelliffe, who lives in Sydney, wrote The XML & SGML Cookbook and describes himself as a standards enthusiast. He said he has added material to Wikipedia entries in the past, and that he doesn’t consider himself as being hired to add pro-Microsoft information, just to correct errors. His disclosure unleashed a heated debate about the ethics of a company paying someone to edit Wikipedia entries, and the effect such payment has on the credibility of the site. “From now on we should take the Wikipedia entry on OpenDocument with a grain of salt,” wrote Daniel Carrera, an ODF developer, in an e-mail. Other comments on Jelliffe’s blog posting weren’t so kind. “Since you openly admit being paid by Microsoft you immediately destroy any credibility as a neutral commentator. End of story,” one person wrote. The matter is particularly sensitive given the Wikipedia entries in question. Microsoft created OOXML to compete with ODF, an electronic document format backed by Sun Microsystems, IBM and open-source companies. ODF appeals to users interested in open-standard document formats that will ensure they can continue to access their existing files and to lessen their dependence on Microsoft. While the formats are competitive, some companies, such as Corel and Novell, have said they’ll support both. It’s not yet clear what would happen if Jelliffe does make changes to the pages. Wikipedia “tends not to look favorably in terms of conflict of interest, and paying someone is a conflict,” said David Gerard, a volunteer spokesman for Wikipedia. Jelliffe could potentially be blocked from contributing to the site. The English-language site is administered by about 1,000 volunteers who have the authority to block editors from contributing content, Gerard said. Publicity people who update the Wikipedia page about companies they represent routinely get blocked from the site, he said. However, given the attention brought to this particular incident, Gerard finds it likely that readers will closely watch for changes made by Jelliffe and respond with their own updates and changes, resulting in an overall improvement to the relevant pages. But Gerard said the situation is regrettable. “We’re disappointed that Microsoft thought it had to work by stealth like this,” he said. The company would be better off donating the money to Wikipedia and earning the goodwill that would result, he said. A representative from Microsoft’s external press office in the United Kingdom couldn’t confirm that Microsoft had made the offer to Jelliffe. —Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Dublin Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 4 remedies to avoid cloud app migration headaches The compelling benefits of using proprietary cloud-native services come at a price: vendor lock-in. Here are ways CIOs can effectively plan without getting stuck. By Robert Mitchell Nov 29, 2023 9 mins CIO CIO CIO case study Steps Gerresheimer takes to transform its IT CIO Zafer Nalbant explains what the medical packaging manufacturer does to modernize its IT through AI, automation, and hybrid cloud. By Jens Dose Nov 29, 2023 6 mins CIO SAP ServiceNow feature Per Scholas redefines IT hiring by diversifying the IT talent pipeline What started as a technology reclamation nonprofit has since transformed into a robust, tuition-free training program that seeks to redefine how companies fill tech skills gaps with rising talent. By Sarah K. White Nov 29, 2023 11 mins Diversity and Inclusion Hiring news Saudi Arabia will host the World Expo in 2030 in Riyadh By Andrea Benito Nov 28, 2023 3 mins CIO Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe