Wikipedia denies they have blocked Qatar from editing the site

Wikipedia denies they have blocked Qatar from editing the site

The founder of Wikipedia has denied the reports in the media that the online encyclopedia has denied editing rights to the visitors from Qatar.

Wikipedia said that the ban was a temporary measure to counter vandalism and spam from one IP address.

Jimmy Wales said in a statement: “The idea that this was a ban on Qatar or that there was anything at all special or unusual about this is just false. We do it all the time.”

It was widely reported on the web that the visitors from Qatar were denied the right to edit the entries on Wikipedia. The ban lasted for around 12 hours this Monday.

Wikipedia had banned access to a single IP which is used by the sole internet service provider in Qatar to provide connectivity to the people in the country. This resulted in a blanket ban for anyone accessing the service from Qatar.