Difference Between Wikileaks and Wikipedia

February 2022 · 5 minute read

There are some misunderstandings about WikiLeaks and Wikipedia. This article discusses the distinguishing characteristics of both names and upholds them. Between Wikileaks and Wikipedia, there is no underlying relationship. Wiki is an umbrella term that describes quickness (in Hawaii), creation, updating, and editing of a website or information by a large number of people, and free access. The wiki was first introduced in 1995 by Ward Cunningham when he developed the software WikiWikiWeb.

Wikileaks vs Wikipedia 

The main difference between WikiLeaks and Wikipedia is that WikiLeaks can be thought of as a library, whereas Wikipedia can be thought of as an encyclopedia. To understand their differences, we must first understand that ‘wiki’ is not a brand name; it is a term that refers to a website that allows anyone to edit information. As a result, there is no connection between WikiLeaks and Wikipedia, and they are not the same. We’ll see more points that highlight the differences in the future.

Wikileaks is a website that publishes highly classified information or historical records. The site is well-known for disclosing public corruption and classified information. Its authors, whether journalists or researchers are kept anonymous. Wikileaks, unlike Wikipedia, does not allow you to edit any of the information on its website, which is also referred to as a wiki.

Wikipedia, on the other hand, is a resource for information on a wide range of subjects. On the website, over a million articles have been published. It is a Wikimedia Foundation-supported open-source encyclopedia. People can edit information on websites that are governed and updated by mentors for a comprehensive information source, and it is based on facts and information.

Comparison Table Between Wikileaks and Wikipedia

Parameters of comparison Wikileaks Wikipedia 
Introduced by Julian Assange Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger
Website link wikieaks.orgwww.wikipedia.org
Is it a wiki?Not really, one can not edit information.Yes, you can edit information.
Significance Anti-war, confidential documentsIt delivers facts and information.
Owner The Sunshine PressWikimedia Foundation 

What is Wikileaks?

Wikileaks is a website where people can submit confidential articles about government, war, and information. Any rumor or fake news will be rejected, as will any articles published on other websites. The writers and journalists who provide the information are kept anonymous. Wikileaks’ goal is to promote transparency and open government. Julian Assange, an Australian activist, led or founded the organization in 2006. People may mix up WikiLeaks and Wikipedia, so the goal of this article is to clear up any confusion. There is no connection between the two; the former is a library with over 100,000 articles, while the latter is an encyclopedia with millions of articles.

Information on the site cannot be changed. Sunshine Press is the company that owns them. They have over a thousand active members in their community. They describe themselves as nonprofit organizations. According to their motivation, they have revealed sensitive information such as the manual details of interrogation techniques used by the army in Guantanamo Bay in 2006. They then published 251,287 confidential texts from an anonymous source in November 2010. In 2016, they made a remarkable disclosure about emails from the Democratic National Committee. So, as their name suggests, WikiLeaks releases confidential documents to the public with good intentions.

What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a hybrid of a wiki and an encyclopedia. As previously stated, a wiki allows users to edit information on a website. And an encyclopedia is a resource that provides a wealth of information, facts, history, and knowledge on a variety of topics. Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia on January 15th, 2001. The Wikimedia Foundation funds and owns it. Anyone with access to the Wikipedia website can edit the facts and information contained therein. This calls into question the site’s trustworthiness. Although there are administrators who oversee the situation, it is impossible to judge each piece of information. So there’s an interesting fact about Wikipedia. Otherwise, it plays a significant role in the introduction of a new topic.

Wikipedia has over 54 million articles on various subjects. Not only that, but the articles are available in more than one language; there are 300 languages in which the articles can be read. The website’s address is www.wikipedia.org. According to 2020 statistics, it is one of the most visited sites, with over 1.5 billion people citing it. The website contains a wealth of information. There are also references links if you want to do more research on a particular topic.

Main Differences Between Wikileaks and Wikipedia

  • Wikileaks was founded by Julian Assange, while Wikipedia was founded by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales.
  • The WikiLeaks website can be found at www.wikileaks.org, and the Wikipedia site can be found at www.wikipedia.org.
  • Wikileaks has stated that wiki is not a wiki because you cannot edit any information, whereas Wikipedia is a wiki in which you can edit information.
  • Wikileaks stands for anti-war, classified documents, while Wikipedia stands for facts and information.
  • Wikileaks is owned by the Sunshine Press, while the Wikimedia Foundation owns Wikipedia.
  • Conclusion 

    Wikileaks is a website where anonymous users can submit classified information about the government, war, and other topics. Wikileaks is a website that makes highly classified information or historical records available to the public.

    Wikis, as previously stated, allow users to edit the content on a website and so does Wikipedia. An encyclopedia, on the other hand, is a book that contains a wealth of information, facts, history, and knowledge on a wide range of topics. Anyone with access to the Wikipedia website can make changes to the facts and information there. This raises doubts about the site’s reliability. It is one of the most visited sites, according to 2020 statistics, with over 1.5 billion people citing it. The website has a lot of useful information.

    The major difference between WikiLeaks and Wikipedia is that WikiLeaks serves as a library, whereas Wikipedia serves as an encyclopedia. To understand their differences, we must first understand what a wiki is: a website that allows anyone to edit information. Wikileaks, on the other hand, does not allow users to edit any information, whereas Wikipedia does.

    References

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