# Justin Knapp
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Knapp
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{{Short description|American Wikipedian (born 1982)}}
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{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Justin Anthony Knapp (cropped 3×4).jpg
| image_upright = .85
| caption = Knapp in 2012
| alt = Justin Knapp—a Caucasian male with brown hair and a bushy beard—stands with his arms folded
| birth_name = Justin Anthony Knapp
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|11|18|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [Indianapolis](/source/Indianapolis), Indiana, U.S.
| other_names = Koavf
| education = [Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis](/source/Indiana_University%E2%80%93Purdue_University_Indianapolis)
| occupation =
| awards =
| website =
| module = {{Listen voice
| filename = Justin Anthony Knapp.2014-07-22.en.ogg
| description = Knapp introducing himself
| recorded = July 22, 2014
}}
}}
'''Justin Anthony Knapp''' (born November 18, 1982),[{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/features/king-of-corrections/ |title=King of Corrections |work=[Indianapolis Monthly](/source/Indianapolis_Monthly) |last=Comisky |first=Daniel S. |date=July 26, 2012}}] known online as '''Koavf''', is an American former [Wikipedia editor](/source/Wikipedia_community) who was the first person to contribute more than one million edits to [Wikipedia](/source/Wikipedia).[{{cite web |first=Kevin |last=Morris |url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/wikipedian-first-1-million-edits/ |title=The hardest working man on Wikipedia |work=[The Daily Dot](/source/The_Daily_Dot) |date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2016}}] {{As of|May 2025}}, Knapp has made over 2.1 million edits on the [English Wikipedia](/source/English_Wikipedia).[{{cite web |url=https://xtools.wmflabs.org/sc/en.wikipedia.org/Koavf |work=XTools |title=Koavf - Simple Counter |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821114502/https://xtools.wmflabs.org/sc/en.wikipedia.org/Koavf |url-status=live |archive-date=August 21, 2021}}] He was ranked No. 1 among the most active Wikipedia contributors of all time from April 18, 2012, to November 1, 2015, when he was surpassed by [Steven Pruitt](/source/Steven_Pruitt).
== Education ==
Knapp attended [Covenant Christian High School](/source/Covenant_Christian_High_School_(Indianapolis)), where he enrolled in 1997.[{{cite news |title=First man to make 1 million Wikipedia edits |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/wikipedia/9215151/First-man-to-make-1-million-Wikipedia-edits.html |work=[The Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) |date=April 20, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2012 |last1=Titcomb |first1=James}}] [Margaret Ferguson](/source/Margaret_Ferguson_(political_scientist)), an associate professor of political science at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and one of Knapp's professors, said she was not surprised by his dedication to editing Wikipedia.[{{Cite web |url=http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/news/index.php/news_article/in_the_news_-_june_2012/ |title=In the News - June 2012 |last=Vinci |first=Angela |website=Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis News |date=July 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162028/https://liberalarts.iupui.edu/news/index.php/news_article/in_the_news_-_june_2012/ |archive-date=February 3, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2017}}][{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |title=Hardest working man on the internet passes one million Wikipedia edits |date=April 20, 2012 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/04/20/one-million-wikipedia-edits/ |publisher=Engadget.com |access-date=September 3, 2012}}] by declaring that April 20 would be Justin Knapp Day.[{{Citation |title=Wikipedia:Justin Knapp Day |date=August 30, 2016 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Justin_Knapp_Day&oldid=736864120 |work=Wikipedia |language=en |access-date=October 5, 2020}}][{{cite news |title=Wikipedia Volunteer Editor Reaches 1 Million Edits |url=http://mashable.com/2012/04/23/wikipedia-volunteer-editor/ |access-date=October 24, 2012 |newspaper=Mashable |date=April 23, 2012 |author=Alissa Skelton}}]
His Wikipedia username, Koavf, was chosen as an acronym for "King of all Vext Fans", a reference to a contest Knapp entered for ''Vext'' in the 1990s.[{{cite web |url=http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/wikis-million-edit-man-is-lifelong-hoosier/Content?oid=2450776 |title=Wiki's Million Edit Man is lifelong Hoosier |work=Nuvo |date=May 23, 2012 |access-date=April 5, 2015 |author=Pogue, Paul F.P.}}] Knapp was a significant contributor to Wikipedia's [bibliography of George Orwell](/source/George_Orwell_bibliography),[{{cite web |url=http://theweek.com/articles/468191/6-superdedicated-employees |title=6 super-dedicated employees |work=The Week |date=January 30, 2013 |access-date=January 30, 2015 |author=Hansen, Lauren}}][{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/5903743/seven-years-one-million-edits-zero-dollars-wikipedias-flat-broke-superstar-editor |title=Seven Years, One Million Edits, Zero Dollars: Wikipedia's Flat Broke Superstar |work=Gizmodo |date=April 20, 2012 |access-date=August 13, 2015 |author=Horn, Leslie |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116031122/https://gizmodo.com/5903743/seven-years-one-million-edits-zero-dollars-wikipedias-flat-broke-superstar-editor |url-status=dead }}] and he has also made many edits involving the categorization of albums through Wikipedia's category structure.[{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18833763 |title=Wikipedia: Meet the men and women who write the articles |work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News) |date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=February 18, 2015}}] In 2012, the ''[Indianapolis Star](/source/The_Indianapolis_Star)'' reported that Knapp sometimes edited Wikipedia for as many as 16 hours a day.[{{Cite news |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20120611/LOCAL/206110312 |title=Week in Wiki out: Hoosier is top contributor to online encyclopedia |last=Guerra |first=Kristine |date=June 18, 2012 |work=[Indianapolis Star](/source/Indianapolis_Star) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618180217/http://www.indystar.com/article/20120611/LOCAL/206110312 |access-date=January 1, 2018 |archive-date=June 18, 2012}}]
In a 2014 interview with ''[Business Insider](/source/Business_Insider)'', Knapp said that "there is no typical day" with regard to his Wikipedia editing, and that his "go-to edits are small style and typo fixes". He also argued that the declining number of Wikipedia editors is "not necessarily a problem".[{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/justin-knapp-on-future-of-wikipedia-2014-9 |title=This Guy Has Edited Wikipedia More Than 1.3 Million Times — And He Doesn't Believe In The Decline Of The Free Encyclopedia |work=[Business Insider](/source/Business_Insider) |date=September 19, 2014 |access-date=September 21, 2014 |author=Lubin, Gus}}] Knapp, who has been the subject of multiple blocks/bans from editing Wikipedia,[{{cite web |title=Block log - koavf |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/block&page=User%3AKoavf |website=Wikipedia |access-date=16 November 2024}}] said in a 2015 interview with technology journalist Zachary Crockett that he "wouldn't be surprised if I've been banned more than anyone".[{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Zachary |title=The Most Prolific Editor on Wikipedia |url=https://priceonomics.com/the-most-prolific-editor-on-wikipedia/ |website=Pricenomics |access-date=16 November 2024 |date=14 October 2015}}] As of February 2026, Knapp is serving a non-expiring [ban](/source/Block_(Internet)) from editing Wikipedia imposed on July 24, 2024, for "persistent disruptive and combative behavior over a prolonged period, and exhausting the [community](/source/Wikipedia_community)'s patience".[{{cite web |title=Proposed siteban for Koavf |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=1236392530 |website=Wikipedia |access-date=15 November 2024 |date=24 July 2024}}]
=== Activism ===
In 2005, at the [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) Sixtieth General Assembly, Knapp advocated for the [Sahrawi people](/source/Sahrawi_people) and spoke about the situation in [Western Sahara](/source/Western_Sahara).[{{cite web |date=October 6, 2005 |title=Representatives of member states, non-self governing territories, petitioners address Fourth Committee, as it continues general debate on decolonization: Statements Focus on Questions of Gibraltar, Western Sahara, Guam |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/gaspd314.doc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407211927/https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/gaspd314.doc.htm |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |access-date=February 14, 2013 |work=[United Nations](/source/United_Nations)}}][{{Cite web |title=Representatives of member states, non-self governing territories, petitioners address Fourth Committee, as it continues general debate on decolonization: Statements Focus on Questions of Gibraltar, Western Sahara, Guam |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2005/gaspd314.doc.htm |access-date=August 11, 2021 |website=[United Nations](/source/United_Nations)}}] He has also been involved in [community organizing](/source/community_organizing) for a [Restore the Fourth](/source/Restore_the_Fourth) rally in 2013.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20130703/NEWS/307030098/Protesters-march-against-government-surveillance-nationwide-rally?nclick_check=1 |title=Protesters to March Against Government Surveillance in Nationwide Rally |work=[Indianapolis Star](/source/Indianapolis_Star) |publisher=[Gannett](/source/Gannett) |date=July 3, 2013 |last=Ritger |first=Carla}}]
=== Other ===
Knapp has had several jobs, including [delivering pizzas](/source/Pizza_delivery) for the Indianapolis pizzeria Just Pizza,[{{Cite news |url=http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/01/20/coworkers-scrambled-to-find-missing-pizza-delivery-man-until-the-worst-became-clear/4659245/ |title=Co-workers scrambled to find missing pizza delivery man until the worst became clear |last=Disis |first=Jill |newspaper=[Indianapolis Star](/source/Indianapolis_Star) |date=January 20, 2014 |access-date=February 2, 2017}}] working at a grocery store, and working at a [crisis hotline](/source/crisis_hotline).[{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/07/22/you-dont-know-it-but-youre-working-for-facebook-for-free/ |title=You don't know it, but you're working for Facebook. For free. |newspaper=Washington Post |date=July 22, 2015 |access-date=August 16, 2015 |author=Dewey, Caitlin}}]