Vandalism on Wikipedia explained

On Wikipedia, vandalism is editing the project in an intentionally disruptive or malicious manner. Vandalism includes any addition, removal, or modification that is intentionally humorous, nonsensical, a hoax, offensive, libelous or degrading in any way.

Throughout its history, Wikipedia has struggled to maintain a balance between allowing the freedom of open editing and protecting the accuracy of its information when false information can be potentially damaging to its subjects.[1] Vandalism is easy to commit on Wikipedia, because anyone can edit the site,[2] with the exception of protected pages (which, depending on the level of protection, can only be edited by users with certain privileges). Certain Wikipedia bots are capable of detecting and removing vandalism faster than any human editor could.[3]

Vandalizing Wikipedia or otherwise causing disruption is against the site's terms of use. Vandals are often blocked from editing, and may also be further banned according to the terms of use. Vandals could be banned either for just a few hours/days/months or indefinitely depending on the level of vandalism they have committed. Vandalism can be committed by either guest editors (IP addresses), or those with registered accounts (oftentimes accounts created solely to vandalize).

To combat inappropriate edits to articles which are frequently targeted by vandals, Wikipedia has instated a protection policy, serving as a user-privilege merit system. For example, a semi-protected or fully protected page can be edited only by accounts that meet certain account age and activity thresholds or administrators respectively. Frequent targets of vandalism include articles on trending and controversial topics, celebrities, and current events.[4] [5] In some cases, people have been falsely reported as having died. This has notably happened to American rapper Kanye West.[6]

Prevention

There are various measures taken by Wikipedia to prevent or reduce the amount of vandalism. These include:

Editors are generally warned before being blocked. Wikipedia employs a 5-stage warning process leading up to a block. This includes:[10]

  1. The first warning "assumes good faith" and takes a relaxed approach to the user. (in some cases, this level can be skipped if the editor assumes the user is acting in bad faith).
  2. The second warning does not assume any faith and is an actual warning (in some cases, this level may also be skipped).
  3. The third warning assumes bad faith and is the first to warn the user that continued vandalism may result in a block.
  4. The fourth warning is a final warning, stating that any future acts of vandalism will result in a block.
  5. After this, other users may place additional warnings, though only administrators can carry out the block.

In 2005, the English Wikipedia started to require those who create new articles to have a registered account in an effort to fight vandalism. This occurred after inaccurate information was added to Wikipedia in which a journalist was accused of taking part in Kennedy's assassination.[11]

Wikipedia has experimented with systems in which edits to some articles, especially those of living people, are delayed until it can be reviewed and determined that they are not vandalism, and in some cases, that a source to verify accuracy is provided. This is in an effort to prevent inaccurate and potentially damaging information about living people from appearing on the site.[12] [13]

ClueBot NG

The most well-known bot that fights vandalism is ClueBot NG. The bot was created by Wikipedia users Christopher Breneman and Cobi Carter in 2010 (succeeding the original ClueBot created in 2007; NG stands for Next Generation) and uses machine learning and Bayesian statistics to determine if an edit is vandalism.[14] [15]

Notable acts of vandalism

Seigenthaler incident

See main article: Wikipedia Seigenthaler biography incident.

In May 2005, a user edited the biographical article about John Seigenthaler Sr. so that it contained several false and defamatory statements.[16] The inaccurate claims went unnoticed between May and September 2005, after which they were discovered by Victor S. Johnson Jr., a friend of Seigenthaler. Wikipedia content is often mirrored at sites such as Answers.com, which means that incorrect information can be replicated alongside correct information through a number of websites. Such information can develop a misleading air of authority because of its presence at such sites:[17]

Stephen Colbert

Comedian Stephen Colbert made repeated references to Wikipedia on his TV show The Colbert Report, frequently suggesting on-air that his viewers vandalize selected pages. These instances include the following:

Hillsborough disaster vandalism

See main article: Hillsborough disaster Wikipedia posts.

In April 2014, the Liverpool Echo reported that computers on an intranet used by the British government had been used to post offensive remarks about the Hillsborough disaster on Wikipedia pages relating to the subject. The government announced that it would launch an inquiry into the reports.[20] Following the allegations, The Daily Telegraph reported that government computers appeared to have been used to vandalize a number of other articles, often adding insulting remarks to biographical articles, and in one case falsely reporting a death.[21]

Political vandalism

Politicians are a common target of vandalism on Wikipedia. The article on Donald Trump was replaced with a single sentence critical of him in July 2015,[22] [23] [24] and in November 2018, the lead picture on the page was replaced with an image of a penis, causing Apple's virtual assistant Siri to briefly include this image in answers to queries about the subject.[25] Both Hillary and Bill Clinton's Wikipedia pages were vandalized in October 2016 by a member of the internet trolling group Gay Nigger Association of America adding pornographic images to their articles.[26] That same month, New York Assembly candidate Jim Tedisco's Wikipedia page was modified to say that he had "never been part of the majority", and "is considered by many to be a total failure". Tedisco expressed dismay at the changes to his page.[27] On 24 July 2018, United States Senator Orrin Hatch posted humorous tweets after Google claimed that he had died on 11 September 2017,[28] with the error being traced back to an edit to his Wikipedia article.[29] [30] Similarly, vandalism of the California Republican Party's Wikipedia page caused Google's information bar to list Nazism as one of the party's primary ideologies.[31]

The week of 29 January 2017 saw various acts of Wikipedia vandalism that attracted media attention. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's Wikipedia page was vandalized and his picture replaced with that of Baghdad Bob, Dana J. Boente's page description was edited to read that he was "the newest sock puppet for the Trump Administration", and Paul Ryan's picture was added to a list of invertebrates, with the edit summary stating that he was added due to his lack of a spine.[32] [33] [34]

On 27 September 2018, the personal information of U.S. senators Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, and Orrin Hatch were added to their respective Wikipedia articles during the hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The information included their home addresses and phone numbers, and originated from the network located from within the United States House of Representatives. The edits were removed from Wikipedia and hidden from public view shortly afterwards.[35] [36] These edits were captured and automatically posted publicly to Twitter by an automated account. Twitter shortly removed the posts and suspended the account in response to the incident.[37] An internal police investigation located the person who made the edits, and 27-year-old Jackson A. Cosko (a staffer for Congress paid by an outside institution) was arrested and charged with multiple felony crimes relating to the incident. Cosko was sentenced in 2019 to four years in prison after pleading guilty to five felonies.[38] [39] [40]

Miscellaneous

See also

Notes and References

  1. Wikipedia testing new method to curb false info . Christian Science Monitor . 25 August 2009 . CSMonitor.com . 7 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120801003740/http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2009/0825/wikipedia-testing-new-method-to-curb-false-info . 1 August 2012 . live .
  2. News: Wikipedia tightens online rules . BBC News . 6 December 2005 . 26 November 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101213031907/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4502846.stm . 13 December 2010 . live .
  3. Web site: Meet the 'bots' that edit Wikipedia . BBC News . 19 September 2021 . 25 July 2012 . 16 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180916120633/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18892510 . live .
  4. News: Wikipedia fights vandalism. The New Zealand Herald. Kleeman. Jenny. 2 April 2007. 25 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213202139/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10432042. 13 December 2013. live.
  5. News: Wikipedia fights off cyber vandals . London . . Lorna . Martin . 18 June 2006 . 18 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161228130822/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/jun/18/wikipedia.news . 28 December 2016 . live .
  6. News: Vandals prompt Wikipedia to ponder editing changes . 28 January 2009 . . 26 November 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015015938/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-01-28/vandals-prompt-wikipedia-to-ponder-editing-changes/275942?section=world . 15 October 2013 . live .
  7. Web site: Hicks. Jesse. This machine kills trolls. The Verge. 18 February 2014. 18 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140827115824/http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/18/5412636/this-machine-kills-trolls-how-wikipedia-robots-snuff-out-vandalism. 27 August 2014. live.
  8. Book: Broughton, John. Wikipedia: the missing manual. 2008. 978-0-596-51516-4. 122. 21 June 2018. 16 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210616042928/https://books.google.com/books?id=h37N0BvkVSUC&pg=PA122. live.
  9. Book: Broughton, John . Wikipedia: the missing manual . 2008 . 978-0-596-51516-4 . 134 . 22 November 2020 . 31 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211231035857/https://books.google.com/books?id=h37N0BvkVSUC&q=%22edit+war%22wikipedia&pg=PA182 . live .
  10. Book: Broughton, John . Wikipedia: the missing manual . 2008 . 978-0-596-51516-4 . 130–31 . 22 November 2020 . 31 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211231035857/https://books.google.com/books?id=h37N0BvkVSUC&q=%22edit+war%22wikipedia&pg=PA182 . live .
  11. Web site: Wikipedia tightens editorial rules after complaint – 06 December 2005 . New Scientist . 7 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121015074757/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8425-wikipedia-tightens-editorial-rules-after-complaint.html . 15 October 2012 . live .
  12. Web site: Wikipedia Tests Approval System to Reduce Page Vandalism . Maximum PC . 19 July 2008 . 7 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120810050703/http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/wikipedia_tests_approval_system_reduce_page_vandalism . 10 August 2012 . dead .
  13. Web site: Wikipedia plans to enforce new editing policy to thwart vandals – eBrandz Search Marketing & Technology News . News.ebrandz.com . 27 August 2009 . 7 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120621061552/http://news.ebrandz.com/miscellaneous/2009/2824-wikipedia-plans-to-enforce-new-editing-policy-to-thwart-vandals-.html . 21 June 2012 . dead .
  14. News: Meet the 'bots' that edit Wikipedia. Nasaw. Daniel. 25 July 2012. BBC News. 21 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180916120633/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18892510. 16 September 2018. live.
  15. Web site: Little about the bot that runs Wikipedia, ClueBot NG. Raja. Sumit. digitfreak.com. 11 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20131122134216/http://www.digitfreak.com/technology/digital/1374-little-about-the-bot-that-runs-wikipedia,-cluebot-ng. 22 November 2013. dead.
  16. News: A false Wikipedia "biography". USA Today. 29 November 2005. John. Seigenthaler. John Seigenthaler. 17 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20120106225139/http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm. 6 January 2012. live.
  17. Web site: Mistakes and hoaxes on-line. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 April 2006. 28 April 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070608054128/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s1613571.htm. 8 June 2007. live.
  18. Web site: Did Colbert hack Wikipedia? – VIDEO . Tvsquad.com . 7 June 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110119215141/http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/01/did-colbert-hack-wikipedia-video/ . 19 January 2011 .
  19. Web site: Stephen Colbert's Wikipedia Vice Presidential Scheme Short Circuited . The Hollywood Reporter . 8 August 2012 . 8 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120811002143/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/stephen-colberts-wikipedia-vice-presidential-359985 . 11 August 2012 . live .
  20. News: Hillsborough Wikipedia posts were 'sickening', Cabinet Office says . BBC News . BBC . 25 April 2014 . 25 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426161018/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-27165844 . 26 April 2014 . live .
  21. News: Des Lynam 'killed by a giant snowball' and other embarrassing Wikipedia edits from Whitehall computers . Oliver . Duggan . The Daily Telegraph . 27 April 2014 . 4 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140430164156/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/wikipedia/10791202/Des-Lynam-killed-by-a-giant-snowball-and-other-embarrassing-Wikipedia-edits-from-Whitehall-computers.html . 30 April 2014 . live .
  22. Web site: Popper . Ben . 2015-07-22 . Someone just deleted Donald Trump's entire Wikipedia page . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180226211723/https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/22/9014525/someone-just-deleted-donald-trumps-entire-wikipedia-page . 26 February 2018 . 2023-04-28 . The Verge . en-US.
  23. Web site: 2015-07-22 . All The Content On Donald Trump's Wikipedia Page Was Just Deleted . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723230722/http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/donald-trump-wikipedia-deleted . 23 July 2015 . 2023-04-28 . Talking Points Memo . en-US.
  24. News: Peterson . Andrea . 22 July 2015 . Donald Trump's Wikipedia page was deleted today. Twice. . . 28 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723235413/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/07/22/donald-trumps-wikipedia-page-was-deleted-today-twice/ . 23 July 2015.
  25. Web site: Wikipedia's Trump penis vandals have struck again. Brandom. Russell. 2018-11-24. The Verge. 2019-08-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190727030734/https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/24/18110545/wikipedias-trump-penis-vandalism-account-hacking. 27 July 2019. live.
  26. Web site: Internet Trolls Vandalize Hillary and Bill Clinton's Wikipedia Pages in Extremely NSFW Way. O'Connor. Brendan. 13 October 2016. 13 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161013192508/http://theslot.jezebel.com/hillary-and-bill-clintons-wikipedia-pages-subject-to-ex-1787755920. 13 October 2016. live.
  27. Web site: Assemblyman Tedisco's Wikipedia vandalized. 22 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161025053740/http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20161022/assemblyman-tediscos-wikipedia-page-vandalized. 25 October 2016. live.
  28. Web site: Ehrlich . Jamie . GOP senator says he is alive amid Google searches suggesting he is dead . . 11 September 2018 . 24 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180911114253/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/orrin-hatch-alive-google-search-dead/index.html . 11 September 2018 . live .
  29. News: Horton . Alex . Is Orrin Hatch dead? Let me Google that for you. . The Washington Post . 11 September 2018 . 24 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180911081826/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/07/24/is-orrin-hatch-dead-let-me-google-that-for-you/ . 11 September 2018 . live .
  30. [All Things Considered]
  31. Google Search Labeled the California GOP as Nazis, But It's No Conspiracy. en-us. Wired. 2021-02-24. 1059-1028. 2 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210302114147/https://www.wired.com/story/google-search-california-gop-nazism/. live.
  32. News: Wikipedia Edits Are the Only Joy in These Fraught Political Times. Kircher. Madison Malone. Select All. en. 2 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113717/http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/01/funny-wikipedia-edits-about-spicer-paul-ryan-and-yates.html. 2 February 2017. live.
  33. News: Wikipedia briefly listed politicians and other invertebrates. Houston Chronicle. 2 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170201214027/http://www.chron.com/news/politics/us/article/Wikipedia-briefly-listed-politicians-and-other-10891261.php. 1 February 2017. live.
  34. News: From the strange specimen of Paul Ryan to Uber's big dropoff – The Boston Globe. BostonGlobe.com. 2 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202063213/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2017/01/31/from-strange-specimen-paul-ryan-uber-big-dropoff/vmUp4KMqD9wZ0Sq4utDK5I/story.html. 2 February 2017. live.
  35. Web site: Republican Senators Doxed While Interviewing Kavanaugh. Gizmodo. Cameron. Dell. 27 September 2018. 30 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030170414/https://gizmodo.com/republican-senators-doxed-while-interviewing-kavanaugh-1829376044. 30 October 2018. live.
  36. Web site: Someone on Capitol Hill just 'doxed' Republican Sens. Mike Lee, Orrin Hatch, and Lindsey Graham. Washington Examiner. Wegmann. Philip. 27 September 2018. 30 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030170544/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/someone-on-capitol-hill-just-doxxed-republican-sens-mike-lee-orrin-hatch-and-lindsey-graham. 30 October 2018. live.
  37. Web site: Republican senators doxxed on Wikipedia by someone from House of Representatives after Kavanaugh hearing. FOX News. Mikelionis. Lukas. 28 September 2018. 30 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030172015/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-senators-doxxed-on-wikipedia-by-someone-from-house-of-representatives-after-kavanaugh-hearing. 30 October 2018. live.
  38. Web site: Suspect in congressional doxxing cases arrested. New York Daily News. Dick. Jason. 3 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181030131240/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sns-tns-bc-congress-doxxing-20181003-story.html. 30 October 2018. 30 October 2018.
  39. Web site: Robertson . Adi . Former Senate staffer admits to doxxing five senators on Wikipedia . . 26 April 2021 . en . 5 April 2019 . 26 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210426044428/https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/5/18297353/jackson-cosko-senate-wikipedia-doxxing-kavanaugh-hearing-pleads-guilty-computer-fraud . live .
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