A senior administrator on the Serbian‑language Wikipedia, who holds “checkuser” privileges allowing access to confidential user data, has admitted to undertaking paid editing on Wikipedia—including on the English version—sparking fierce debate over whether such users should hold powerful oversight roles.
The editor in question, Bojan Cvjetković, confirmed he was paid to edit articles via his company, Brisk Web Services. He states the work complied with policy, but said that the admission came after complaints from another editor, Zoran Filipović, whose allegations triggered months of internal discussion. At the heart of the issue is whether someone with access to sensitive user information on Wikipedia should also be allowed to profit from editing—an apparent conflict of interest.
Paid editing is not strictly banned on Wikipedia under the Wikimedia Foundation Terms of Use, as long as it’s disclosed. However, undisclosed paid editing—so‑called “black‑hat” edits—has repeatedly led to bans. The real question now: should those with advanced privileges, like checkusers, be held to a higher standard?
The controversy intensified when an English‑language Wikipedia admin, Sohom Datta, noted that Cvjetković’s article on the “BetterSleep” app appeared to follow paid‑editing practice rather than neutral contribution. Datta argued that an editor who profits from editing while holding access to user data creates too high a risk. Some communities are exploring policy revisions to address this.
On the Serbian Wikipedia and the Meta discussion board, opinions diverge. Some administrators and users argue paid editing is permissible if disclosed, regardless of privileges held. Others say the very nature of checkuser access—visibility into user activity, IP addresses and private messaging—makes paid editing incompatible with such a role.
As of now, no formal restriction has been adopted across all communities. Cvjetković still holds his privileges while the broader discussion continues. The case raises questions about governance, transparency and consistency across Wikipedia’s global network of sites.
