WRAL News has obtained a series of emails and a letter showing the Durham city attorney spent time requesting the private information of Wikipedia users.
These are people who posted public information about three city leaders, including the mayor.
Other WRAL Top Stories
And that was for the mayor's signature be removed from a page with her information.
The letter sent from city attorney Kimberly Rehberg was to a Wikipedia representative and dated June 29 of 2023. For the mayor's page, the letter said there was concern about the source and purpose of her signature being uploaded.
It was removed in July. As for CouncilmemberDeDreana Freeman, the letter said it had "unflattering" information about her along with a claim that the page was being used in cyberbullying.
The request for Councilmember Monique Holsey-Hyman's page was more about the allegations against her and went into her trying to extort a land developer for political gain.
WRAL News reached out to all three city leaders and the city attorney. Questions included how many billable hours were spent doing this. WRAL News is waiting for a reply.
Wikipedia is a public domain website. Therefore, users don't need a lawyer to request an edit.