Oh, those crazy Canadians...

[vansmack]

Wikipedia's Canadian Invasion
 
 Asking if Wikipedia is becoming a hub for propaganda, Canada�??s Globe and Mail points out that an online database has shown 11,000 edits to the encyclopedia made from government computers. Tracking edits made by companies and governments has become a popular pastime this week, since grad student Virgil Griffith created the database, called Wikiscanner.
 
 A significant number of edits made on the Canadian government computers inserted positive comments and removed criticism from articles on Canadian policy, or added negative information to the entries on political foes.
 
 Other government edits espouse individual political and religious beliefs. Despite Wikipedia�??s monitoring, one user with an Internet-protocol address at the House of Commons repeatedly removed material from the encyclopedia's entry on homosexuality, replacing it 24 times with terse statements like �??Homosexuality is evil.�?�
 
 This is unseemly stuff for government officials to be involved in, but it's not all that uncommon: As CTV points out, the editors using Canadian government computers join officials at the Church of Scientology and Disney -- not to mention U.S. Capitol staffers -- as Wikipedia abusers.

[sweetcell]

this is what canadians do when we don't have a stanley cup to celebrate.  now if you'll excuse me, i need to go deface the US-canada softwood lumber trade dispute's wiki page... BRB.
 
 FYI, this is how canada practices cyber-warfare: being mean to someone online  :p

[vansmack]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
   i need to go deface the US-canada softwood lumber trade dispute's wiki page... BRB.

Do you work for Commerce?  I dated a crazy girl who worked in ITA and that was one of her two things (Peru and copper was the other).  She was nuts, but she taught me a lot about Canadian v. American softwood lumber trade.
 
 And, when I was home last week, I picked up the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup DVD.  I'm thinking of renting out the 9:30 and having a watching party.

[sweetcell]

nope, don't nor ever have worked for the canadian government.  the softwood lumber dispute is something that 98% of americans have never heard of, yet back in the day it was the top story of the evening news in canada.  lack of awereness here understandable tho: it's wasn't as big a deal to the US, didn't affect many people, and frankly didn't make for a sexy lead story.  canadian opponents of NAFTA seized on softwood lumber as an example of why the trade agreement was flawed, so it got additional coverage under that banner.  facinating stuff.  really.
 
 renting out the 930 for a viewing party?  don't think you'll get much of an audience... few people here cared about it when it was happening, and i'd say the majority of them were canadians (i'm willing to bet pro-canada wikipedia defacings were down those two weeks   )
 
 i'm still bitter that i suckered myself into betting on the sens - with a co-worker who didn't even know anaheim had a team.  grrr.  then, to rub it in, he used part of his winnings to buy me an official 2007 anaheim ducks stanley cup champions t-shirt.  
 
 i now use that shirt to wash my car.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
   he used part of his winnings to buy me an official 2007 anahiem ducks stanley cup champions t-shirt.  
 
 i now use that shirt to wash my car.

Thanks for thinking about me...

[smakawhat]

Insert obligatory Tragically Hip show here...