Wikipedia Graffiti
I listened to NPR's Technology podcast this morning while driving to work. There were a couple of interesting stories, one of which addressed the use of the Wikipedia online encyclopedia by American politicians to present themselves in a favorable light. Some politicians or their staff have edited entries to remove records of questionable activities (i.e. campaign contributions, divorce, etc.) There have also been cases of "edit wars" where Internet users repeatedly modify each other’s entries in the Wikipedia to reflect their personal views on a subject.
What really caught my attention was the stance of the Wikipedia founders - to allow this selective editing to continue. The Wikipedia is backed by a version control system that records the identity (IP address) and content of every post to the system. By looking at the IP addresses of Wikipedia contributors, it can easily be determined how many of the changes are originating from government networks. Also, it provides an interesting perspective on the social interaction taking part on the Wikipedia pages. The NPR reporter likened it to writing graffiti on the bathroom wall at school; however, this "wall" knows the identity and actions of every person who has every written on it. I think that the false impression of anonymity encourages people to contribute inaccurate or biased content to the Wikipedia. If they ever realize that their identities are completely known, the online encyclopedia or forum may cease to be a magnet for candid commentary.