Wikipedia deletes biographies of living people every day. Volunteers flag entries when subjects fail to meet notability guidelines. The process is routine, but the consequences are deeply personal.
Editors debate each nomination through a public comment period. Anyone can weigh in on whether a subject deserves a page. A consensus decides the outcome, and unsuccessful subjects lose their entry.
Deletion discussions often last a week. Participants cite sourcing standards and coverage requirements. A lack of independent, reliable sources usually seals a subject’s fate.
Few subjects know their page is under review until it disappears. Some discover the loss through a sudden drop in search results. Others learn from friends or colleagues who noticed the missing entry.
A deleted page can affect how people appear online. Search engines may return outdated or incomplete information about the subject. Some say the loss feels like a public erasure of their work.
Wikipedia’s guidelines require significant coverage in reliable sources. The rules apply equally to authors, athletes, and businesspeople. Meeting that bar is harder than many people expect.
Subjects can request restoration if new sources emerge. Some pages return after fresh coverage appears. Others stay gone, leaving only a deletion log as evidence they ever existed.
