The Directorate-General Against Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Interior of Belarus (GUBOPiK) arrested Mark Bernstein, one of the 50 most influential and active Wikipedia editors in Russia.
But how was it possible?
Bernstein’s personal information – including social media profiles, his Wikipedia username and place of work – were shared on GUBOPiK’s public Telegram channelwhich allowed the secret services to intercept the editor and arrest him on suspicion of distributing false and anti-Russian information.
A photo and video of the arrest were also posted on Telegram, after which the channel became private.
According to the Belarusian newspaper Zerkalo, Mark Bernstein is accused of having edited the Wikipedia pages dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russians, although it is not yet clear what information has been “altered”.
For now all we know is that Bernstein’s account is “blocked indefinitely”, with other Russian and Belarusian editors being again asked to hide their personal data and edit war-related articles using other accounts. .