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The Gamergate controversy, which centers on sexism and sexual violence in the video game industry, has made things hot for Wikipedia, whose arbitration committee has taken punitive action against some of the people involved in the debate.

The committee decided to impose a complete site-wide ban on one male editor, with the handle "Ryulong," Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson Juliet Barbara told TechNewsWorld.

It also endorsed nearly 150 warnings, sanctions or topic bans affecting other editors on both sides of the issue.

Only one of the 11 topic bans issued was applied to an editor who identifies as female, and all the sanctioned editors can appeal.

The foundation "doesn't set editorial policy for Wikipedia and is separate from the independent, volunteer English Wikipedia Arbitration Committee," Barbara said.

Even before the committee had made its final decision, the frenzy over Gamergate continued to roil in the blogosphere as well as the mainstream media.

A subset of the committee on Jan. 19 posted a proposed decision in the case.

That proposal "is worse than a crime," objected former Wikipedia editor Mark Bernstein, "it's a blunder that threatens to disgrace the Internet."

It suggested sanctions against the five editors initially targeted by Gamergate: Ryulong, NortyBySouthBaranof, Tarc, TheRedPenOfDoom, and TaraInDC -- and "every feminist active in the area is to be sanctioned," Bernstein continued.

Pulication of the proposed decision led to accusations on the Web that Wikipedia wanted to ban feminists from editing Gamergate, as well as claims that it had banned five feminist editors from Gamergate articles and that it tacitly endorsed Gamergate.

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Gamergate Bleeds Into Wikipedia