Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

See Who Is Whitewashing Wikipedia

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the who-isn't-these-days dept.

Decius6i5 writes "Caltech grad student Virgil Griffith has launched a search tool that uncovers whitewashing and other self-interested editing of Wikipedia. Users can generate lists of every edit to Wikipedia which has been made from a particular IP address range. The tool has already uncovered a number of interesting edits, such as one from the corporate offices of Diebold which removed large sections of content critical of their electronic voting machines. A Wired story provides more detail and Threat Level is running a contest to see who can come up with the most interesting Wikipedia spin job."

5 of 478 comments (clear)

  1. Re:TFA Interesting by Elemenope · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    He mentioned it, I imagine, because of the surprise and amusement previously expressed that a CIA analyst would care enough about Buffy to edit that page. Implication being that CIA analysts are different enough from 'normal' people who are non-CIA analysts that such an interest is surprising. GP's point was that it shouldn't be surprising, as the distinction between people who are and people who are not CIA analysts is smaller than was originally implied. Certainly, in any case, smaller than your obnoxious counter example of mass murderers and dictators. To your question, yes, it is a powerful instinct in people to demonize those who are perceived to be 'the enemy'. Thus, it never hurts to point out the humanity of people in that group, unless the enemy as such is quite behyond humanization (such as the aforementioned dictators and mass murderers).

    And that this needs to be explained at all is quite embarrassing on your account.

    --
    All the techniques ever used to make men moral have been themselves thoroughly immoral... (Nietzsche)
  2. Re:TFA Interesting by spun · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    All he did was restate the OP's comment in a condescending way, as if we couldn't understand that CIA agents are people to from the 'nerds' comment.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  3. Re:TFA Interesting by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Okay, but I think it would be more precise to say that the *why* was your desire to grandstand, and the other stuff was your *rationalization*. ;-)

    --
    Apology to Ubuntu forum.
  4. Re:What? Me Grandstand? I never... by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Huh? You're not allowed to say that kind of thing on Slashdot. ...Just so you know, I don't honor the "$1000 to anyone who I put on my friends list" policy anymore.

    --
    Apology to Ubuntu forum.
  5. Re:The encyclopedia ANYONE can edit. by fbartho · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    and surprisingly annoying...

    --
    Gravity Sucks