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Is it legal to edit your own Wikipedia article if you disclose who you are?

Quick answer

Yes. Disclosed conflict-of-interest editing is permitted under WP:PAID and WP:COI provided the editor discloses publicly, follows the Talk-page edit-request process, and meets sourcing standards.

Legality is the wrong frame, since Wikipedia is not a legal jurisdiction, but the policy answer is yes. Wikipedia’s WP:PAID and WP:COI policies explicitly permit interested-party editing under specific conditions: public disclosure of the relationship on the editor’s user page, in Talk page contributions, and in edit summaries; engagement through Talk-page edit requests rather than direct article edits; reliable secondary sources for proposed changes; and neutral encyclopedic tone in proposed content. This is the disclosed-COI model that Five Blocks operates under and that the major PR firms and law firms increasingly require their reputation partners to use. Editing without disclosure, through sockpuppet accounts, anonymous edits, or undisclosed compensation, is the version that breaks the rules and creates the lasting damage clients hire firms to avoid.

Last reviewed: 19/05/2026

Sources (2)
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