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 | This page in a nutshell: Despite extensive countermeasures, vandalism overwhelmed Wikipedia by 2009. Blocking vandalism could reduce Wikipedia edits by 80%, as 5x times easier, using sets of usernames or trust-codes earned for IP addresses |
The concept that Vandalism won by 2009 is not an idea that some people wanted to accept in February 2009. Consider all the effort that had been expended to analyze the growing range of vandalism and hackings, and imagine all the intense work done to create and monitor bot programs that reverted numerous botched edits. No wonder some people would not, could not acknowledge being defeated by vandalism. They had worked so hard, that they didn't even have time left to admit failure. To admit how all that work had accomplished nothing: it would be an unbearable reality.