Unveiling the Largest Self-Promotion on Wikipedia
Have you ever wondered which Wikipedia articles are written in the most languages? Countries largely dominate this list, with Turkey topping the entries available in 332 languages, followed by the USA and Japan. Surprisingly, the words 'dog,' 'cat,' and even historical figures like 'Jesus' and 'Adolf Hitler' feature prominently on this list, while 'sex' only appears in 122 languages.
A few months ago, however, an unexpected name topped this list: David Woodard, a largely unknown composer with Wikipedia entries in 335 languages. Woodard is infamous for composing a pre-requiem for Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, and has been involved in controversial projects, such as aiding the defunct German colony of Nueva Germania in Paraguay.
Many netizens were baffled by Woodard's unprecedented presence on Wikipedia, questioning whether it was due to his importance or a dedicated fan's effort. The truth, uncovered by Wikipedia editor 'Grnrchst,' revealed the largest self-promotion scheme in the platform's history, spanning a decade and potentially involving over 200 accounts.
The operation began in 2015, with multiple accounts inserting Woodard's name into numerous unrelated articles and creating translations of Woodard-related content in 92 languages. By examining IP addresses and account behaviors, it became evident that the operation aimed to elevate Woodard's presence by spreading information and photos about him globally.
From 2021 to 2025, a more sophisticated pattern emerged where 183 new articles were written about Woodard in varied languages, each by separate accounts performing systematic edits before disappearing. This widespread effort implied machine translation abuse rather than human polyglot skill, suggesting a coordinated manipulation.
In response to the findings, Wikipedia's global stewards removed over 235 articles, with larger communities eliminating additional content. The case exemplifies the potential for concerted digital misinformation efforts to infiltrate public platforms, emphasizing the importance of vigilance among online communities.
