Wikipedia Infiltrated by Intelligence Agents?

An anonymous reader writes "International Humanitarian Law professor Ludwig Braeckeleer thinks so. In an article published yesterday in the Korean newspaper OhMyNews, he reveals a discovery he made while researching a story on the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland. It turns out that a Wikipedia administrator named SlimVirgin is actually Linda Mack, a woman who as a young graduate in the 1980s was hired by investigative reporter Pierre Salinger of ABC News to help with the investigation. Salinger later came to believe that Mack was actually working for Britain's MI5 on a mission to investigate the bombing and to infiltrate and monitor the news agency. Shortly after her Wikipedia identity was uncovered, many of her edits to articles related to the bombing were permanently removed from the database in an attempt to conceal her identity. This discovery comes only months after another Wikipedia admin was caught lying about his credentials to the press. What can Wikipedia do about those who would use it for their own purposes?"

I read it on wikipedia

[User 956]

This discovery comes only months after another Wikipedia admin was caught lying about his credentials to the press.

This sort of thing is a compounding issue. In fact, this sort of activity has tripled in the last six months. I read that on wikipedia somewhere.

Thank God this won't affect Wiki's primary market

[jollyreaper]

I can't see why spooks would be editing entries about or favorite tv shows, comic book characters, science/fantasy books, technology entries, etc. Us geeks is safe.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

plus, Salinger is involved

[wsanders]

A nutbag if ever there was one.

Wikipedia is perfectly welcome to sap and impurify my bodily fluids, although there are probably other web sites that are much more likely to actually do so.

First the internet. Next the mainstream media!

[Torgo's Pizza]

If this is happening on Wikipedia, the next logical step is the rest of the Internet and the rest of the mainstream media. I know it seems impossible now, but can you imagine if a far-left wing liberal editor was in charge of the editorial page of the New York Times? Or what if a neocon tycoon owned a 24-hour news network! If Wikipedia is having problems, our mainstream media is going to be next and lose the objectivity that it's currently known for.

Re: Pierre Salinger

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree. That dude is nuts. You should just ignore him.

Linda Mack

Re:Transparency

[DragonWriter]

So maybe the question becomes, should those who contribute more (I don't know what the threshold would be) be required to reveal more personal identification details in order to ensure some level of transparency?

I have a better idea. Rather than an appeal-to-personal-authority based approach, maybe Wikipedia could adopt some policies regarding verifiability of claims, so as not to rely on the personal credibility of the submitter.

Re:A better question...

[Qaa]

No, we can't be everyw... No wait: Nothing, you know nothing!

Re:Transparency

[Monchanger]

How do you see that working? Do you think there's any kind of "personal identification detail" that Wikipedia would use that MI5 couldn't forge for such an operation?

>> What can Wikipedia do about those who would use it for their own purposes?

The answer to the question is very simple: Infiltrate MI5.

I'm sorry to bring up the old fighting fire cliche, but that's how counter-intelligence works. Well, using that and disinformation. Which do you think is more in line with Wikipedia's goal?

Drop Some Knowledge On U

[realitybath1]

snowspinner

snow = h2o
2 letters below o is m
2/2 letters above h is i
--> MI
h = 8th letter in the alphabet
o = 15th letter in the alphabet
15-8-2=5
--->MI5

Therefore, Snowspinner is an MI5 agent propagating spin. He/She might also smell funny.


PS. Please don't kill me!

Re:I read it on wikipedia

[SeaFox]

This sort of thing is a compounding issue. In fact, this sort of activity has tripled in the last six months. I read that on wikipedia somewhere.

[clicky... clicky, clicky]

No you didn't.

Prominent AC Poster?

[dakirw]

As a prominent AC poster, I am wondering how many of you are actually him trying to prove a point that only exists in his mind. I mean could he really just think he is spreading a conspiracy in order to advance his own conversation with himself.

How can any poster be a "prominent" AC poster?

Re:Shameful this made it to the front page

[Antaeus Feldspar]

The only good thing is that if the information was collected by Daniel Brandt, it's probably worthless. The guy is famous for being easily fooled -- my favorite is when someone sent him an anonymous e-mail, claiming to be an ex-business partner and enemy of administrator "XYZ", and claiming that administrator XYZ's real name was "Daniel Atta Benzona". Brandt published it on his website, without any attempt to check it. Well, he may have made some unsuccessful attempt to check it, but one thing we can be sure he didn't do is try to check it with anyone who spoke Hebrew, or he would have found out that "Daniel Atta Benzona" means "Daniel, you are a son of a whore."

Anyone want to bet even money...

[Torodung]

...that "MI-5 persecution" guy, a celebrated Usenet-spamming lunatic, is the anonymous user who submitted this article?

--
Toro

Wikipedia Infiltrated ?

[12357bd]

Well, what says Wikipedia about it?