Fandom: Difference between revisions

Users on Fandom have little control over the content they upload to the platform. Furthermore, Fandom staff clarify that all content uploaded by users to the platform is their property,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOdysseyHadAPurpose/comments/1e1jahx/response_from_soap_members_in_regards_to_the/|title=Response from SOAP members in regards to the Fandom Wiki vandalism|date=2024|website=Reddit|quote=Admins can't give permission to destroy a wiki, and if they do, they will be demoted and blocked. Futher, The content on this platform belongs to fandom and not the admins}}</ref> and they can modify or alter it without the prior consent of the writers involved.

In 2026, the official GTA wiki moved to Weird Gloop; editors of one of the largest video game wikis stated that Fandom was significantly disrupting its internal operations. Editor WildBrick142 stated that Fandom had previously stripped Admin452 of his administrative rights—who had spent a decade building the Saint’s Row wiki—when the company unilaterally decided to create its own wiki for the franchise’s reboot. He also mentioned how Fandom forces the inclusion of intrusive elements to turn the page into a “billboard” rather than a proper informational site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026 |title=GTA Wiki: Moving from Fandom |url=https://gta.wiki/w/GTA_Wiki:Moving_from_Fandom |website=GTA Wiki via Weird Gloop}}</ref>

At the end of 2020, the company introduced links to "Fandom Shop" on various wikis, an initiative by the company to distribute merchandise. This measure was criticized by users, as the links were embedded in the site's navigation without prior consultation by administrators. In addition, some of the products included poor-quality bootlegs products.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-16 |title=Wikia/FANDOM are rolling out a "Shop" tab on Wikis, filled with affiliate (for profit) links to stores. I would like to make folks aware that nearly 99% of items in this tab are UNOFFICIAL/BOOTLEGS. |url=https://x.com/danganronpawiki/status/1306182977999732741 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=Danganronpa Wiki via Twitter}}</ref>

In early 2022, Fandom CEO Perkins Miller announced the possibility of integrating NFTs into the platform, despite backlash from user surveys and concerns about the environmental damage it could cause.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-16 |title=Perkins Miller, the CEO of @getFANDOM, our Wiki host, has put out a statement on LinkedIN that the platform is considering getting into NFTs, despite the admitted extremely poor feedback from a community survey. |url=https://x.com/danganronpawiki/status/1494105070220292098 |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=Danganronpa Wiki via Twitter}}</ref>

In July 2025, Fandom began experimenting with creating wikis in other languages using generative AI. The move was boycotted by users, citing concerns about replacing editors and translators who had previously worked on the website to provide high-quality translations manually, as well as the dismantling of international support for other languages.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-08 |title=Fandom is planning to start translating English wiki articles into other languages using AI. If you log in to view comments on the blogpost announcing this, you can see this decision is extremely unpopular with Fandom editors. |url=https://x.com/mossbag69/status/1942656734146777248 |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Mossbag69 via Twitter}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-07 |title=Apparently @getFANDOM is planning to launch AI generated non English wikis, and I *cannot* stress enough how bad this idea is, and how disrespectful it is to the people who create the content on their platform. |url=https://x.com/SEJordanWilson/status/1942405776267419777 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=Jordan Wilson via Twitter}}</ref> In response, a petition was launched to halt the process of automating translations with generative AI, with approximately 390 different editors signing up to have the project canceled.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-11 |title=We are now over 390 editor signatures against Fandom's new plan to use AI to translate wikis from English to other languages. This replaces human editors with AI, and if Fandom is serious about supporting foreign languages, invest in people. Not machines. |url=https://x.com/SEJordanWilson/status/1943777100982628579 |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Jordan Wilson via Twitter}}</ref>