Google to start paying for using Wikipedia information in its knowledge panels in Google Search, TechCrunch reported. The tech giant and the Internet Archive are the first customers of Wikimedia Enterprise, said Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit that operates Wikipedia.
Google had been using Wikipedia information for years to provide quick answers to searches through its knowledge panels, first introduced in 2012. According to reports, it pulls data from freely available online resources, including Wikipedia and Google Books. Other tech giants, including Facebook, in the year 2020, leveraged Wikipedia information.
“We have long supported the Wikimedia Foundation in pursuit of our shared goals of expanding knowledge and information access for people everywhere. We look forward to deepening our partnership with Wikimedia Enterprise, further investing in the long-term sustainability of the foundation and the knowledge ecosystem it continues to build,” Google’s Tim Palmer said.