Monday, August 27, 2007
Wickedness on Wikipedia
OK, we all know that one of Wikipedia's best features is also one of its worst: Generally speaking, anybody can edit any article they want. This means that any person, company, or other entity can make additions or changes to make themselves look good or someone else look bad. So what do you do?
Well, if you're Virgil Griffith, you create the WikiScanner. With this website, you can see what changes have been made and who made them. Look up the name of any entry, and you can see both the before and after versions of the entry, and you can also see who made the entry, at least if it was made by someone working from an identifiable location.
Wired magazine apparently thinks highly enough of WikiScanner to refer to it and compile their own Hall of Shame. For example, some of the latest entries as I type this indicate that:
Well, if you're Virgil Griffith, you create the WikiScanner. With this website, you can see what changes have been made and who made them. Look up the name of any entry, and you can see both the before and after versions of the entry, and you can also see who made the entry, at least if it was made by someone working from an identifiable location.
Wired magazine apparently thinks highly enough of WikiScanner to refer to it and compile their own Hall of Shame. For example, some of the latest entries as I type this indicate that:
- Information on George W. Bush's alcoholism was deleted by someone at the Department of Homeland Security.
- General Mills erased information about research showing that refined cereal grains can be unhealthy.
- Focus on the Family removed a link to a website critical of the organization.
Sometimes the edits aren't really scandalous, just entertaining, such as when someone at the Department of Justice altered the entry on United States Congress to say that our eminent legislative body as the power "to go poopy." (Well, it may not be in the Constitution, but I sure hope they are allowed to!)
Of course, the last one demonstrates a point to keep in mind when you're using WikiScanner -- the shenanigans you see are not necessarily the result of a wide-ranging nefarious behavior by the organization in question. Sometimes it's just a rogue individual with excessive enthusiasm, too much free time, and employer-provided Internet access.
Labels: Internet websites Wikipedia
