# Wikipedia - what porn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658 "2010-05-16T17:37:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/1 "2010-05-16T17:37:55Z")
What’s going on at Wikipedia? First there’s news reports of porn on the site. Now, there’s reports of firings. porn on wikipedia [http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/27/wikipedia-child-porn-larry-sanger-fbi/](http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/27/wikipedia-child-porn-larry-sanger-fbi/) > [@](#): > > A shakeup is underway at the top levels of Wikipedia, [FoxNews.com](http://FoxNews.com) has learned, as administrators try to deal with the growing controversy surrounding pornographic images that appear on the online encyclopedia and its associated websites. [http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/14/exclusive-shake-wikipedia-porn-pressure/?test=latestnews](http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/14/exclusive-shake-wikipedia-porn-pressure/?test=latestnews) I’ve never seen any porn on wikipedia. Heck, the articles rarely have pictures at all. Except for pathetic low resolution pictures that are considered copyright safe. They do have bios of some adult actors. IMDB does that too. I see nothing wrong with that. The bios I’ve seen are professional. There’s no sex in them. Veronica Hart is a former actress and currently a producer/director. > **[Veronica Hart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Hart)** > > Jane Hamilton (born 1956 or 1957) is an American film director and former pornographic film actress who performed under the stage name Veronica Hart. Described by columnist Frank Rich as "a leading porn star of the late '70s and early '80s", Hart is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame. > Director Paul Thomas Anderson has called her "the Meryl Streep of porn." > Hart was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in th... I just don’t get it. There’s hundreds of thousands of porn sites. Why would anyone waste time posting porn on wikipedia? 😕 That seems so dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/2 "2010-05-16T17:48:21Z")
Not Wikipedia _per se_, but [Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page). Since the article alleges child porn, I’d rather not go searching for it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/3 "2010-05-16T17:56:16Z")
I don’t blame you. Clicking into that stuff is bad news. Even by accident. The news article gave the impression there’s a lot of porn out there. Not just child stuff. I must live a sheltered life because I haven’t run into any porn on wikipedia. I’m careful what links I click too. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/4 "2010-05-16T18:06:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I must live a sheltered life because I haven’t run into any porn on wikipedia. I’m careful what links I click too. There are a few illustrations of sex positions. I believe the penis and vagina pages have actual pictures (or at least, they used to, with Wikipedia you never know what the current page looks like). But as for actual out-and-out (or should that be in-and-out?) porn? I’ve never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/5 "2010-05-16T18:13:19Z")
**Justin** ’s on the right track. There is full nudity on Wikipedia. But it takes the good people at FOX News to get offended by it. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/6 "2010-05-16T18:16:17Z")
I’m listening to the History of Rome podcast, and a couple months ago the podcaster covered the life of Hadrian, who was pretty openly…uh, I guess “gay” is kind of a modern political term, but he was into guys. And his lover, Antinous, died at an early age and was then deified by Hadrian. The podcaster said that because of this, Antinous’ face is one of the best known of the era because everyone trying to get into Hadrian’s good graces built shrines to Antinous and his cult was quite prominent. So naturally, I went to wikipedia to see what Antinous looked like. And I was a bit surprised to find a _totally pornographic_ 19th century picture of Hadrian and Antinous getting it on. I just checked [Antinous’ wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinous). The picture is gone. It’s really not SFW, but the artist’s name is Édouard-Henri Avril and it’s an easy google to find it if you want to see what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/7 "2010-05-16T18:22:32Z")
I can think of two gay pornographic images that were on there. But they were removed very quickly and I was looking up gay porn actors, so it wasn’t a shock ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/8 "2010-05-16T18:23:50Z")
Ok, that makes sense. I can easily imagine classic art pictures appearing with historical articles. Some of those get pretty vivid. The ancient artists drew some pretty wild stuff. The historical context of the article would be incomplete without at least linking to the pictures. > [@](#): > > So naturally, I went to wikipedia to see what Antinous looked like. And I was a bit surprised to find a totally pornographic 19th century picture of Hadrian and Antinous getting it on. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/9 "2010-05-16T18:25:25Z")
Again, it’s not Wikipedia that’s hosting the images, but Wiki—\>m\<—edia Commons. There are all sorts of random media in the latter site that aren’t necessarily used by Wikipedia directly. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/10 "2010-05-16T18:25:32Z")
Not so long ago there was one person complaining that [this article with a NSFW picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhibitionism) was clickable from [an article related to the movie _Cars_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cars_characters#Mia_and_Tia_.28known_as_The_Twins.29). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/11 "2010-05-16T18:28:43Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I just checked [Antinous’ wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinous). The picture is gone. Wikipedia history to the rescue. It looks like the image was part of an image gallery of Antinous and the whole gallery was removed a few months ago as Wikipedia frowns on image galleries. Even when it was there, the image was never prominent. > **[Antinous](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antinous&oldid=311259295)** > > Antinous, also called Antinoös, (/ænˈtɪnoʊʌs/; Ancient Greek: Ἀντίνοος; c. 111 – c. 130)\[a\] was a Greek youth from Bithynia, a favourite and lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Following his premature death before his 20th birthday, Antinous was deified on Hadrian's orders, being worshipped in both the Greek East and Latin West, sometimes as a god (θεός, theós) and sometimes merely as a hero (ἥρως, hḗrōs). > Little is known of Antinous's life, although it is known that he was born in Claudiopol... ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/12 "2010-05-16T18:35:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Wikipedia history to the rescue. It looks like the image was part of an image gallery of Antinous and the whole gallery was removed a few months ago as Wikipedia frowns on image galleries. > > Even when it was there, the image was never prominent. > > [Antinous - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antinous&oldid=311259295) But there’s still a large image gallery. It looks to me like the pornographic picture was targeted. (Which is okay with me. I mean, I’m an adult and I’m no prude and it was still surprising to see that on Wikipedia entry.) ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/13 "2010-05-16T18:36:38Z")
It’s worth noting that [Wikipedia is not censored](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#Wikipedia_is_not_censored). There is no requirement that Wikipedia pages be “safe for work.” Sexually explicit images and other material that some might consider objectionable is perfectly fair game for inclusion in an article so long as it’s relevant and informative. If you go to the Wikipedia article on “Penis,” you will see (surprise!) a photograph of a penis. But as for the claims in that Fox News article, they sound completely bizarre and sensational. I wouldn’t take them seriously, especially considering the source. It’s worth noting also that [Wikimedia has published a response to the allegations](http://blog.wikimedia.org/2010/04/28/wikimedia-foundation-responds-to-fox-news/). ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/14 "2010-05-16T18:38:57Z")
You can still see the Hadrian and Antinous picture on Wikipedia if you look under “Doggy style” or “Anal sex”. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/15 "2010-05-16T18:39:59Z")
As far as nudity on Wikipedia goes, I advise that nobody ever goes there to look up “micropenis.” We looked it up at work–I can’t for the life of me remember why–and…let’s just say that the pictures are not safe for ANYONE. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/16 "2010-05-16T18:42:18Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Not so long ago there was one person complaining that [this article with a NSFW picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhibitionism) was clickable from [an article related to the movie _Cars_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cars_characters#Mia_and_Tia_.28known_as_The_Twins.29). The “Pages that link here” entry fro exhibitionism seems to be a pretty good list of pages on Wikipedia featuring nudity. Still no explicit porn though. > **[Pages that link to "Exhibitionism"](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere%2FExhibitionism&limit=500)** > > The following pages link to Exhibitionism > Showing 500 items. > [@Kyla](#): > > But there’s still a large image gallery. It looks to me like the pornographic picture was targeted. (Which is okay with me. I mean, I’m an adult and I’m no prude and it was still surprising to see that on Wikipedia entry.) Yes, right now there is. It’s apparently the site of yet another Wikipedia editor battle. The entire gallery was ripped out in March (due to one Wiki editor’s dislike of galleries) and then restored later that day by a different editor. The painting was removed on March 20, restored later that day and then removed again on April 22. It has yet to be restored. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/17 "2010-05-16T18:53:43Z")
If you take the Wikipedia article on Exhibitionism and scroll down the the Notes, you’ll see a box that says: > [@](#): > > Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Exhibitionism You can follow the link to find lots of rude images, but again I’d like to emphasize that you’re no longer on Wikipedia itself. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/18 "2010-05-16T18:56:15Z")
I still recall the oak leaves plastered onto Greek statutes in my high school books. It really looked silly on Michelangelo’s David. I’ve never been a fan of censorship. Somehow, I just can’t see any harm in seeing Michelangelo’s work unaltered by oak leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/19 "2010-05-16T18:58:21Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > You can follow the link to find lots of rude images, but again I’d like to emphasize that you’re no longer on Wikipedia itself. It’s a distinction without a difference. Both sites are owned by Wikimedia Foundation and content is heavily integrated between both. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658/20 "2010-05-16T19:12:26Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > It’s a distinction without a difference. Both sites are owned by Wikimedia Foundation and content is heavily integrated between both. There are pictures on Wikipedia that aren’t in Wikimedia Commons, just as there are pictures on Wikimedia Commons that aren’t in Wikipedia, so there is some distinction. If the OP wants to go searching for dirty pictures, there are some on Wikipedia, but there will be a lot more on Wikimedia Commons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wikipedia-what-porn/539658.md?page=2)