(I’m back in Perth, and …) All over the world the WikiScanner has been uncovering interesting trails and tails of previously unnamed Wikipedia editors. PerthNow quickly jumped on the bandwagon and discovered the the Office of Australia’s Prime Minister has been busy:
The Prime Minister’s staff has been editing Wikipedia to remove details that might be damaging to the Government in the lead-up to the election. Staff in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet have made 126 edits on subjects ranging from the children overboard affair to the Treasurer Peter Costello, Fairfax reports.
So, too, has Australia’s Department of Defense, although they’ve gone into Wiki lockdown while the Department figures out exactly who was changing what (or working out how to spin that story, at any rate). The PM’s office have supposedly launched an internal inquiry, but I’m sure any interesting findings (whatever that might entail) won’t quite surface until the 07 elections are done, anyway!
At the same time, the long-awaited Federally-funded NetAlert website, which is supposed to educate and arm parents, children and teachers to the dangers of life in a networked culture, has finally been released. Sadly, though, the keystone of NetAlert are free family internet filters, which have been poorly received and for the most part, don’t appear to work.
PS Running WikiScanner past the University of Western Australia IP Address is far less exciting; there is one big Portishead fan, a few rants about masturbation, but that’s the juiciest we’ve got!
Update: Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer takes the cake with his thoughts on Wikipedia:
“My sort of recollection of Wikipedia sites is they are a bit, sort of, a bit anti-government, they are sort of a bit negative about people in the government,” Mr Downer said today. “That is my recollection of them, so maybe we should fire people up to edit them – but I know they have editorial control at Wikipedia so it probably wouldn’t help.”
It’s such a delight to have such informed politicians leading this country. *sigh*
Political bashing shouldn’t come at praising for loss of privacy. Every individual will now be scared to edit at wikipedia and it kills the basic idea of wikipedia.
Hi,
Just picked up your post on the state of play in Australia, regarding the blocking of snt for learners and kids at home (the porn filter) and the interesting USE of snt by those in politics – Mr Howard, Mr Rudd.
I had a chuckle when I realised that the government had put out a youtube to promote joining the defence forces during the gap year and at the same time, they were busy behind the scenes blocking the very people that, one would have thought was a key market.
You maybe interested in this update. It appears that the incredible filter they have been talking of here, that will keep all children safe, has been hacked by a school boy in Melbourne in around 30 minutes.
And how much did they spend on this exactly????
Porn filters no barrier for net users
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22303468-2862,00.html
I have made similar comments to yours on my blog of late – if you wish to peek – http://socialnetrockstrue.blogspot.com/
Regards
Jacinta
Yeah well, of the pollies weren’t all f-wits and f-tards then the entries about them would be far more favourable.
Tony Abbott made an idiot of himself on this subject too. “I’ve never seen wikipedia but I think I’ll go and write my own life story there.” Why do they think they are fit to lead us anywhere? I’m older than most of them and I manage to have a good handle on this stuff. But then I have a brain.