Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'

By Jonathan Fildes

Science and technology reporter, BBC News

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.

The tool, developed by US researchers, trawls a list of 5.3m edits and matches them to the net address of the editor.

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that can be created and edited by anyone.

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.

Source and rest article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6947532.stm

LaoPo

Wikipedia is an advertising platform for the self-obsessed - discuss

This is excellent, and very funny. You'd think the CIA knows that wikipedia has a "history" function..

Love that one too:

In October 2005, a person using a Diebold computer removed paragraphs about Walden O'Dell, chief executive of the company, which revealed that he had been "a top fund-raiser" for George Bush.

A month later, other paragraphs and links to stories about the alleged rigging of the 2000 election were also removed.

Most use proxy's that mask locations, so seriously doubt it, unless CIA analysts are having a goof.

Most use proxy's that mask locations, so seriously doubt it, unless CIA analysts are having a goof.

Wiki has a reasonably effective 'proxy detector' built into the edit function, which makes it more difficult to use defined proxy addresses.

Regards

/edit PS Many don't realise that address set data is available and even the secret squirrels have identifiable connexions to the internet. Users often assume that the firewall they've all heard about makes them invisible at work too. //

PS Many don't realise that address set data is available and even the secret squirrels have identifiable connexions to the internet. Users often assume that the firewall they've all heard about makes them invisible at work too. //

I was amazed at the response I received when I traced an IP address in Langley. In response to my ping, my firewall was hit with 7 pings all at the same time from other world addresses associated with that place.

Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'

By Jonathan Fildes

Science and technology reporter, BBC News

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.

The tool, developed by US researchers, trawls a list of 5.3m edits and matches them to the net address of the editor.

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that can be created and edited by anyone.

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.

Source and rest article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6947532.stm

LaoPo

Funny article but really disappointing.

I expected to find some disinformation being placed by the CIA. Instead someone adds Wahhhhhh! before a section on Ahmadinejad's plan for his presidency. Other changes are "more innocuous". More innocuous? Did they change periods to question marks?