Re: FBI, CIA Scriveners Edit Wikipedia Entries

Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2007
http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/news/gizmos/story.html?id=2e1...
* *

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People using CIA and FBI computers have edited
entries in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on topics including the
Iraq war and the Guantanamo prison, according to a new tracing
program.

The changes may violate Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest guidelines, a
spokeswoman for the site said on Thursday.

The program, WikiScanner, was developed by Virgil Griffith of the
Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico and posted this month on a Web site
that was quickly overwhelmed with searches.

The program allows users to track the source of computers used to make
changes to the popular Internet encyclopedia where anyone can submit
and edit entries.

WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on
the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A graphic on casualties was
edited to add that many figures were estimated and were not broken
down by class.

Another entry on former CIA chief William Colby was edited by CIA
computers to expand his career history and discuss the merits of a
Vietnam War rural pacification program that he headed.

Aerial and satellite images of the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were removed using a computer traced to the
FBI, WikiScanner showed.

CIA spokesman George Little said he could not confirm whether CIA
computers were used in the changes, adding that "the agency always
expects its computer systems to be used responsibly."

The FBI did not have an immediate response.

Computers at numerous other organizations and companies were found to
have been involved in editing articles related to them.

Griffith said he developed WikiScanner "to create minor public
relations disasters for companies and organizations I dislike (and) to
see what 'interesting organizations' (which I am neutral towards) are
up to."

It was not known whether changes were made by an official
representative of an agency or company, Griffith said, but it was
certain the change was made by someone with access to the
organization's network.

It violates Wikipedia's neutrality guidelines for a person with close
ties to an issue to contribute to an entry about it, said spokeswoman
Sandy Ordonez of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia's parent
organization.

However, she said, "Wikipedia is self-correcting," meaning misleading
entries can be quickly revised by another editor. She said Wikimedia
welcomed the WikiScanner.

WikiScanner can be found at wikiscanner.virgil.gr/
© Reuters 2007


.

Relevant Pages

  • CIA, FBI computers used to plant phony positive info about Gitmo, Iraq war
    ... entries in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on topics including the Iraq ... The program, WikiScanner, was developed by Virgil Griffith of the Santa Fe ... The program allows users to track the source of computers used to make ... WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on the ...
    (alt.politics)
  • Re: FBI, CIA Scriveners Edit Wikipedia Entries
    ... that is the sad fate of the former janitor and failed manifestation of the ... WASHINGTON - People using CIA and FBI computers have edited ... The program allows users to track the source of computers used to make ... WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on ...
    (talk.religion.bahai)
  • CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits
    ... entries in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on topics including the Iraq ... The program allows users to track the source of computers used to make ... WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on the ... Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were removed using a computer traced to the FBI, ...
    (misc.survivalism)
  • Re: I can share files on D: but not on C: on combined Wireless and
    ... files on both drives. ... that I setup on drive C: are seen by the other two computers in Network ... Events/System folder in Computer Management There are several Error events ... Two of the entries had Special permissions. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • Re: Error Message [Office 2007 & BDE]
    ... I'm running four computers. ... The dbase that I had changed to Microsoft dbase was there as was ... So I simply deleted the entries added by Office Diagnostics and the ACS ... Add: new String value 'DLL' ...
    (microsoft.public.office.misc)