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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Michael Savage Media editor

Prominent PR firm accused of commissioning favourable changes to Wikipedia pages

Wikipedia Portland TBIJ Sir Keir Starmer Tim Allan Qatar Downing Street World Cup
Tim Allan
Tim Allan launched Portland in 2001. He sold most of his shares in the company in 2012 and left the business in 2019. Photograph: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

A high-profile PR company founded by Keir Starmer’s communications chief has been accused of commissioning changes to Wikipedia pages to make them more favourable towards clients.

Portland Communications, founded by Tim Allan, has been linked to the so-called black hat edits, sometimes referred to as “Wikilaundering”. Several changes were made to Wikipedia pages by a network of editors, allegedly controlled by a contractor working on Portland’s behalf.

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