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Political editing on Wikipedia

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


Political editing on Wikipedia comprises the addition, promotion, or maintenance of content on Wikipedia that is meant to advance a political ideology, viewpoint, or state position by people with an external relationship to the subject. It can be seen as a type of conflict-of-interest editing.[Notes 1] The Wikipedia community utilizes various tools and policies to detect and remove such content, but whether they would be effective against a state actor has been called into question.[1]

Known incidents[edit]

See also: List of Wikipedia controversies

WikiScanner[edit]

Main article: WikiScanner

In 2007, Virgil Griffith created a searchable database that linked changes made by anonymous Wikipedia editors to companies and organizations from which the changes were made. The database cross-referenced logs of Wikipedia edits with publicly available records pertaining to the internet IP addresses edits were made from.[2]

Most of the edits WikiScanner found were minor or harmless,[2] but further analysis detected more controversial and embarrassing instances of conflict of interest edits.[3] These instances received media coverage worldwide. Included among the accused were the Vatican,[4][5] the CIA,[2][5] the Federal Bureau of Investigation,[6] the US Democratic Party's Congressional Campaign Committee,[5][7] the US Republican Party,[8][7] Britain's Labour Party,[7] Britain's Conservative Party,[8] the Canadian government,[9] Industry Canada,[10] the Department of Prime Minister, Cabinet, and Defence in Australia,[11][12][13][14][15] the United Nations,[16] the US Senate,[17] the US Department of Homeland Security,[18] the US Environmental Protection Agency,[18] Montana Senator Conrad Burns,[2] Ohio Governor Bob Taft,[19] the Israeli government,[20] and various media and industry organizations.[2][8][18][19][21]

Although the edits correlated with known IP addresses, there was no proof that the changes actually came from a member of the organization or employee of the company, only that someone had access to their network.[5]

Israeli–Palestinian conflict[edit]

In 2008, the pro-Israel activist group Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) launched a campaign to alter Wikipedia articles to support the Israeli side of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The campaign suggested that pro-Israeli editors should pretend to be interested in other topics until elected as administrators. Once administrators they were to misuse their administrative powers to suppress pro-Palestinian editors and support pro-Israel editors.[22] Some participants in the project were banned by Wikipedia administrators.[23]

In 2010, two pro-settler Israeli groups, Yesha Council and Israel Sheli, launched courses to instruct pro-Israel editors on how to use Wikipedia to promote Israel's point of view. A prize was to be given to the editor who inserted the most pro-Israel changes.[24]

Pro- and anti-China editing[edit]

In October 2019, the BBC reported that there were indications that tendentious edits on 22 politically sensitive articles (such as those related to the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests or Taiwan) were not all "necessarily organic, nor random". The BBC quoted an academic article published in the Journal of Social Sciences called Opportunities And Challenges Of China's Foreign Communication in the Wikipedia as saying "due to the influence by foreign media, Wikipedia entries have a large number of prejudiced words against the Chinese government" and continues "We must develop a targeted external communication strategy, which includes not only rebuilding a set of external communication discourse systems, but also cultivating influential editors on the wiki platform." before concluding "China urgently needs to encourage and train Chinese netizens to become Wikipedia platform opinion leaders and administrators… [who] can adhere to socialist values and form some core editorial teams." Not all edits made by Chinese state actors are vandalism; many are related to asserting one disputed claim over others or pruning language to make a political point. The BBC reported that attacks have been made not just against Wikipedia's content but also against individual editors.[25]

On 13 September 2021 the Wikimedia Foundation banned seven editors belonging to the Chinese Wikipedia group "Wikimedians of Mainland China", and removed the administrative privileges of another twelve, due to a "security risk relates to information about infiltration of Wikimedia systems, including positions with access to personally identifiable information and elected bodies of influence".[26][27] Researchers have called the incident "the clearest indication of a more concerted and strategic attempt to change Wikipedia by a state".[28]

Promotion or debasement of politicians and political candidates[edit]

United States Congressional staffers[edit]

Main article: United States Congressional staff edits to Wikipedia

In 2006, it was discovered that more than 1,000 changes had been made to Wikipedia articles originating from United States government IP addresses. Changes had been made to articles about Representative Marty Meehan,[29] Senator Tom Coburn, Senator Norm Coleman,[30] Representative Gil Gutknecht,[31] then-Senator Joe Biden,[31] Senator Conrad Burns,[32] Senator Dianne Feinstein,[33] Senator Tom Harkin,[33] Representative David Davis,[34] Tennessee state representative Matthew Hill[34][35] and then-Representative Mike Pence.[36] The edits removed accurate but critical information and embellished positive descriptions.[33] In response to the controversy, certain affected IP addresses were temporarily blocked.[37]

Later, in 2011, conflicted edits were also made to US Congressional representative David Rivera's article.[38]

2008 US presidential campaign[edit]

During the 2008 US presidential election, changes made by both Barack Obama's and John McCain's campaigns made news.[39] A user who later claimed to work for the McCain campaign made changes to Sarah Palin's article just before the announcement that she would run for vice-president.[40]

2012 Newt Gingrich presidential campaign[edit]

Around the beginning of 2012, Joe DeSantis, the campaign communications director for American presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, argued for and made changes to Gingrich's Wikipedia article.[41] Some changes which DeSantis requested were minor, but his initial efforts tried to remove negative details which he thought unduly biased the articles,[42] including details about Gingrich's extramarital affairs, information about his financial expenditure, ethics charges against him, and his political positions on controversial issues.[42][43]

The incident was notable for DeSantis' switch from editing articles about the politician and his wife directly, to following Wikipedia's conflict of interest guideline by using the linked discussion pages for each article to suggest edits rather than make them himself. He said, "I stopped making direct edits in May 2011 because I was alerted to the COI rules...Earlier I thought that simply disclosing my affiliation was enough but it wasn't. So I started posting requests on the Talk page. This has been far more successful and the other editors on Wikipedia have largely received this very positively."[43] He told the political journalism organization Politico that his approach of working with the Wikipedia community by discussing edits on talk pages to be more successful than making the changes himself. Wikipedia editor Tvoz was quoted as critical of the practice; she wrote: "... I have to say this micro-managing by a Gingrich campaign director is a matter of concern to me even though you now are identifying yourself. Pointing out factual errors is one thing, but your input should not go beyond that, even [on a Talk page]."[42]

United Kingdom Parliament[edit]

In March 2012, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism uncovered that UK MPs or their staff had made almost 10,000 edits to the encyclopedia, and that almost one in six MPs had their Wikipedia articles edited from within Parliament.[44] Many of the changes dealt with removing unflattering details from during the 2009 expenses scandal, as well as other controversial issues.[45] Former MP Joan Ryan admitted to changing her entry "whenever there's misleading or untruthful information [that has] been placed on it."[45] Clare Short said her staff were "angry and protective" over mistakes and criticisms in her Wikipedia article and acknowledged they might have made changes to it.[45] Labour MP Fabian Hamilton also reported having one of his assistants edit a page to make it more accurate, in his view. MP Philip Davies denied making changes about removing controversial comments related to Muslims from 2006 and 2007.[45]

Labour MP Chuka Umunna was alleged to have created and edited his own Wikipedia page. Umunna told the Daily Telegraph that he did not alter his own Wikipedia page, but the paper quoted what they called "sources close to Umunna" as having told the newspaper that "it was possible that one of his campaign team in 2007, when he was trying to be selected to be Labour's candidate for Streatham in the 2010 general election, set up the page."[46]

Irish former Senator Jim Walsh[edit]

In September 2015, former senator Jim Walsh admitted editing his own Wikipedia entry, claiming it had been edited by "a person from the gay lobby groups".[47] He said that he had removed "certain erroneous comments" but did not say which edits he made.[47] T.J. McIntyre, a law lecturer at University College Dublin, drew attention to edits made from an IP address belonging to the Oireachtas.[47] Edits made from that address included removal of controversial comments made by the former senator about gay people or the Marriage Equality referendum.[47]

Other examples[edit]

In October 2012, the Occupy Melbourne article was edited from a City of Melbourne IP address to alter language about recent protests, in the week leading up to the election of lord mayor Robert Doyle. Doyle denied any involvement or motive.[48]

In May 2019, LNP reported on paid conflict-of-interest editing concerning several Pennsylvania politicians.[49][50]

In December 2019, Slate and other media reported on likely conflict-of-interest editing of US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's article.[51][52]

In December 2020, Politico reported on conflict-of-interest editing regarding Jeffrey Zients by the Democratic consulting firm Saguaro Strategies.[53]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ For more on that, see Wikipedia's policy on conflict of interest.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Borak, Masha (2022-10-17). "The Hunt for Wikipedia's Disinformation Moles". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Borland, John (17 November 2005). "See Who's Editing Wikipedia - Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign". Wired. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2017. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Poulsen, Kevin (13 August 2007). "Vote On the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin Jobs - UPDATED". Wired. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  4. ↑ "Did Vatican alter Wikipedia info on Adams?". The Belfast Telegraph. 16 August 2007. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Fildes, Jonathan (15 August 2007). "Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ Mikkelsen, Randall (16 August 2007). "CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Johnson, Bobbie (14 August 2007). "Companies and party aides cast censorious eye over Wikipedia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Wikipedia and the art of censorship". The Belfast Telegraph. 18 August 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Government computers linked to Wikipedia edits". CTV News. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Government buffing Prentice's Wikipedia entry". CBC News. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ "Defence blocks staff's Wikipedia access". ABC News. 24 August 2007. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  12. ↑ "PM's staff edit Wikipedia entries". Adelaide Now. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  13. ↑ "PM's Dept denies making Wikipedia changes". ABC News (in 中文). 24 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  14. ↑ "PM 'not behind Wikipedia edits'". ABC News. 24 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  15. ↑ "PM's staff sanitise Wikipedia - Technology". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 August 2007. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  16. ↑ "'Wikiscanner' reveals source of edits". Taipei Times. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  17. ↑ Heffernan, Virginia (21 November 2008). "WIKISCANNER". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Behind the e-curtain". Boston Globe. 26 August 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Wikipedia 'editors' have vested interests". The Columbus Dispatch. 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  20. ↑ "Wikipedia and the art of censorship". Independent. 20 August 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  21. ↑ "Big Name Firms Accused Of Wiki Cover-Up". Sky News. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  22. ↑ "The Mideast Editing Wars". The American Prospect. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  23. ↑ Shabi, Rachel; Kiss, Jemima (18 August 2010). "Wikipedia editing courses launched by Zionist groups". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  24. ↑ "The right's latest weapon: 'Zionist editing' on Wikipedia". Haaretz. 8 August 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  25. ↑ Miller, Carl (4 October 2019). "China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  26. ↑ Cheng, Selina (2021-09-14). "Exclusive: Wikipedia bans 7 mainland Chinese power users over 'infiltration and exploitation' in unprecedented clampdown". Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  27. ↑ Maggie, Dennis (2021-09-13). "Regarding a series of serious office actions / 有关于一系列的办事处行动". Wikimedia-l (Mailing list).
  28. ↑ Miller, Carl; Smith, Melanie; Marsh, Oliver; Balint, Kata; Inskip, Chris; Visser, Francesca (2022-10-17). Information Warfare and Wikipedia (Report). Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and CASM Technology. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  29. ↑ Noguchi, Yuki (12 February 2006). "Wikipedia Objects to Editing for Political Incorrectness". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  30. ↑ Blakely, Rhys (9 February 2006). "Washington's politicians edit Wikipedia". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Gutknecht joins Wikipedia tweakers". Star Tribune. 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006.
  32. ↑ "Burns' office may have tampered with Wikipedia entry". The Bozeman Daily Chronicle. 8 February 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Noguchi, Yuki (9 February 2006). "Wikipedia's Help From the Hill". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2017. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Humphrey, Tom (11 August 2007). "Entries on Wikipedia edited by Davis aide". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  35. ↑ Collins, Michael (15 August 2007). "Lawmaker's office awaits panel's verdict on aide's act". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  36. ↑ Carter, Zach (18 August 2011). "Did Mike Pence's Office Edit His Wikipedia Page To Make It More Flattering?". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  37. ↑ "Wikipedia Now Blocking US Congress From Making Edits". DailyTech. 30 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  38. ↑ Cogan, Marin (7 April 2011). "Rep. David Rivera's war with Wikipedia". Politico. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  39. ↑ "Staffs for US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama caught making questionable edits to Wikipedia". Mister-Info.com. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  40. ↑ Cohen, Noam (1 September 2008). "Editing - and re-editing - Sarah Palin's Wikipedia Entry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  41. ↑ "Gingrich spokesman defends Wikipedia edits". CNN. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 "Newt Gingrich communications director Joe DeSantis works Wikipedia". Politico. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 "Joe DeSantis, Newt Gingrich's communications director, made over 60 changes to the GOP candidate's Wikipedia page". GlobalPost. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  44. ↑ Furness, Hannah (9 March 2012). "MPs Wikipedia pages 'changed from inside Parliament'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 "Wikipedia: 'Bob Crow, The Lord of the Rings and Notable DJs': TBIJ". Thebureauinvestigates.com. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  46. ↑ Hope, Christopher (7 April 2013). "Labour star Chuka Umunna admits his aides probably set up and edited his own Wikipedia page". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 O'Reilly, Brian (27 September 2015). "Senator Jim Walsh admits editing his own Wikipedia page after it 'was changed by person from gay lobby groups'". Sunday Independent. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  48. ↑ Grubb, Ben (20 February 2013). "Melbourne council computer made 'controversial' edits to Wikipedia page". Bendigo Advertiser. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2013. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  49. ↑ BOARD, THE LNP EDITORIAL. "Public employees shouldn't be tasked with writing glowing entries for elected officials' Wikipedia pages [opinion]". LancasterOnline. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  50. ↑ Walker, Carter; Gonzalez, Junior. "Wikipedia flags Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro over glowing, staff-written bio". LancasterOnline. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  51. ↑ Feinberg, Ashley (20 December 2019). "Pete Buttigieg's Campaign Says This Wikipedia User Is Not Pete. So Who Is It?". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  52. ↑ Holmes, Juwan J. (22 December 2019). "Internet ponders if Mayor Pete (or devoted friend) was behind his Wikipedia edits". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  53. ↑ Thompson, Alex; Meyer, Theodoric (3 December 2020). "Wikipedia page for Biden's new Covid czar scrubbed of politically damaging material". Politico. Retrieved 4 December 2020.


This article "Political editing on Wikipedia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Political editing on Wikipedia. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.


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