Let's take a break from all those pesky "Ask A Fellow Human Being" threads (seriously, we must be out of ideas before we descend into parody now) with something more old-fashioned and debate-like, shall we? I was just nudged in the direction of
this article which claims that the CIA, the Vatican and other big organisations have been busy on Wikipedia...
An online tool that claims to reveal the identity of organisations that edit Wikipedia pages has revealed that the CIA was involved in editing entries.
Wikipedia Scanner allegedly shows that workers on the agency's computers made edits to the page of Iran's president.
It also purportedly shows that the Vatican has edited entries about Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
...
Most of the edits detected by the scanner correct spelling mistakes or factual inaccuracies in profiles. However, others have been used to remove potentially damaging material or to deface sites.
...
The site also indicates that a computer owned by the US Democratic Party was used to make changes to the site of right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
The changes brand Mr Limbaugh as "idiotic," a "racist", and a "bigot". An entry about his audience now reads: "Most of them are legally retarded."
The IP address is registered in the name of the Democratic National Headquarters.
Worryingly...
On the profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the tool indicates that a worker on the CIA network reportedly added the exclamation "Wahhhhhh!" before a section on the leader's plans for his presidency.
Yes, the CIA is run by n00bs...
Now, you can either take this on the "there's an idiot in every organisation" side, or view it as something more sinister. Are the powers that be really out to abuse everyone's favourite open source encyclopedia like common trolls? And while they may have certain rights to ensure that information about them is accurate, there is no excuse for editing away perfectly legitimate links or articles that may show you them in a bad light.
