Wikipedia plans to introduce new editing restrictions on articles

August 26, 2009 The English version of Wikipedia, the self-described free, online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, has planned to install new restrictions on its editing system on articles regarding biographies of living people.

Under the new plan, anyone can edit the affected articles, but the changes would have to be approved by a more experienced user before they could be registered. The move is part of an effort to prevent vandalism and unconstructive edits being made to high-profile pages and increase content quality. The system is called "flagged revisions".

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said that there would be a "very, very low threshold to entry" for those who desired editorial rights. "We're looking at anybody who has been around a very short period of time and hasn't been blocked [banned]," he said.