5 ms·

Snowden Wikipedia page edited to label him a "traitor" from Senate computer

145 points by detcader 13y ago

diff in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&diff=566904988&oldid=566903734 screenshot of both diff and above-linked user page as of now: http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png

detcader 13y ago
diff in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&diff=566904988&oldid=566903734 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&di... screenshot of both diff and above-linked user page as of now: http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png
- detcader 13y ago
  Personally my money is on the obvious explanation, i.e. that a bored/edgy staffer did this with full knowledge that people would notice. Prank or not, pretty great catch, which I can't credit myself for: https://twitter.com/TimKarr/status/363475470332854272 https://twitter.com/TimKarr/status/363475470332854272
  - bendoernberg 13y ago
    Looks like the first person noticed around 5pm: https://twitter.com/schuettebop/status/363403815166296064 https://twitter.com/schuettebop/status/363403815166296064
    - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
      It's Friday evening drinking in your office let's have fun on the internet time.
- rpgmaker 13y ago
  My money is on a Dianne Feinstein staffer or DiFi herself.
singularity0 13y ago
Why is this newsworthy? Several senators have already issued public statements labeling him a traitor.
- Eduard 13y ago
  may you tell us your IP address?
  - rbanffy 13y ago
    127.0.0.1
- detcader 13y ago
  They didn't deface Wikipedia to claim it, though. I doubt it's Peter King having a (particularly) bad night, but we all can dream
  - snowwrestler 13y ago
    Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that "anyone can edit." Although it might fly against the prevailing opinion online, I would not classify a one-word edit like this as a defacement. Whether Snowden is a dissident, traitor, or some other word (patriot?) is really a matter of opinion.
    - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
      In the US we have a specific definition for treason which makes it pretty clear that Snowden is not a traitor.
      - mpyne 13y ago
        Well, pretty clear that they'll never prove Snowden is a traitor in court, at least. ;)
- ihsw 13y ago
  Because it's astroturfing. It's a small step to go from monitoring communications in real-time to directly and automatically responding to certain communications events, for example giving the appearance of interest where there is none (or the opposite, giving the appearance of disinterest). It needn't be bots posting spam but it could be trained professionals engaged in spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
9ac345a5509a 13y ago
There is no evidence that this is a Senator or anyone in a position of power. It is more likely that it is just a bored intern.
- detcader 13y ago
  No one's claiming that it is a Senator, but then again, is this what my tax dollars are funding?
  - qq66 13y ago
    Yes, your tax dollars are funding this, but they are funding much worse. In terms of the useless: a friend ordered a $25,000 computer with 192 GB of RAM because he had a research grant for computer hardware that he had to use up. In terms of the horrifying: Extrajudicial murder of civilians.
    - detcader 13y ago
      I wasn't being serious; this was all likely just a prank anyway
  - impendia 13y ago
    Yes, in addition to all of the surveillance programs being discussed, as well as the salaries of the people who lied to Congress about it.
  - eli 13y ago
    If it makes you feel any better, many (most?) Senate interns are unpaid.
- peterg2 13y ago
  Honestly, this is the most likely answer. I doubt it would be a Senator.
  - cheald 13y ago
    If only because that would actually require the Senator to be able to actually understand the technology to a degree necessary to make a Wikipedia edit.
ww520 13y ago
May be NSA can figure out who did it.
FrankenPC 13y ago
How ironic! I'd label all the current politicians traitors as well!
WestCoastJustin 13y ago
Probably not a shocker, or news worthy, but amusing to get busted like this. Snowden has been publicly called a traitor by at least two senators, "I think Snowden is a traitor -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [1], and Kerry characterized former NSA contractor as a "traitor to his country." -- US Secretary of State John Kerry [2], and there are lots of hits in Google News [3], so there are probably others. [1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/senators-demand-repercussions-for-russia-in-wake-of-snowden http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/senators-demand-repercussi... [2] http://rt.com/usa/kerry-russia-china-snowden-152/ http://rt.com/usa/kerry-russia-china-snowden-152/ [3] https://news.google.com/?q=snowden+traitor+senator https://news.google.com/?q=snowden+traitor+senator
- rdtsc 13y ago
  > "traitor to his country." Because for them country=government. He is a traitor to a corrupt and power hungry government. So that description is accurate.
  - saraid216 13y ago
    > Because for them country=government. Drawing a distinction between the government and a non-government is pretty much the antithesis of democracy.
    - autodidakto 13y ago
      Yet here we are.
    - Gormo 13y ago
      If 'democracy' entails equating the political state with civil society, than 'democracy' is just a euphemism for 'totalitarianism'. In a free society, 'democracy' refers exactly to distinguishing the state from the rest of society, so as to ensure that the former remains subordinate and accountable to the latter.
      - saraid216 13y ago
sologoub 13y ago
Feinstein (D-Calif.)? http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/304573-sen-feinstein-snowdens-leaks-are-treason http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/304...
- ihsw 13y ago
  Have you seen her direct the NSA-related congressional hearings? She's definitely a dusty old battle-axe, but I'd wager that her computer skills (or lack thereof) impede her ability to edit Wikipedia articles.
  - superconductor 13y ago
    She probably wouldn't go near Wikipedia - a haven for radical idealists to spread their propaganda. It'd be flat-out unpatriotic.
  - sologoub 13y ago
    Sorry, this was meant in jest.
bbx 13y ago
The latest revision reads as "American fugitive intelligence analyst". On a side note, the user is registered to WikiPedia, and his contributions page [1] hints at his awareness of the public availability of these contributions (and of their IP address). Maybe he didn't want to hide the origin of this edit, or maybe it was a clumsy mistake. There isn't much more to tell. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/156.33.241.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/156.33.2...
- detcader 13y ago
  Now all we have to do is pinpoint the one US Senator interested in revolvers, Islamic historical sites, people straddling the exec boards of multiple large corporations, and tiki bars in San Francisco.
  - detcader 13y ago
    Actually, a McCain wedding was at that tiki bar: http://sfist.com/2013/06/03/a_very_sf_mccain_wedding.php http://sfist.com/2013/06/03/a_very_sf_mccain_wedding.php
  - kennywinker 13y ago
    Probably not an actual senator, but someone on a senator's staff.
- Buge 13y ago
  What do you mean the user is registered? If the user was registered, it would show the username instead of the IP address.
nisdec 13y ago
http://youtu.be/4Sg4AtcW0LU?t=5m3s http://youtu.be/4Sg4AtcW0LU?t=5m3s
ToothlessJake 13y ago
The United States government is serving as a cash funnel/legal immunity shield to corporations sometimes made by the government itself[1]. Anyone who defects from or defies them is labeled a traitor or prosecuted in full[2]. Those who attempt to collate information on these entities and persons are tracked by the sitting government at the behest of these immune corporations[3]. All the while tax payer resources are used to forcibly alter public opinion on a subject involving government conflict of interests. Great. [1] (Project PM) http://wiki.echelon2.org/wiki/Endgame_Systems http://wiki.echelon2.org/wiki/Endgame_Systems [2] (Started Project PM) http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett-brown http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett... [3] (DoJ Seeking Info on Project PM) http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/doj-issues-subpoena-for-info-on-barrett-browns-project-pm-site/ http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/doj-issues-subpoe...
- jaekwon 13y ago
  ^^^ This. This is what we're up against. A steaming pile of moral hazard.
Aloha 13y ago
While calling him a traitor is a valid point of view, its not NPOV, the foundation wiki is built on. FWIW, I think is a hero - and I suspect he will come to be regarded as such by most Americans.
Qantourisc 13y ago
This is probably not a great comment, but this one of the lamest edits I have seen.
INTPenis 13y ago
Kind of childish if you ask me. Are they really that eager to judge? Of course they are, they're only people. Which is why we shouldn't give them any power over us that isn't 100% transparent.
bjourne 13y ago
Laughs at the US senate aside, it really sucks that Wikipedia hasn't implemented a simple ip anonymizing system yet. They could simply hash the ip of anonymous contributions so then you could still see the persons edit history but not run a whois query and figure out what that persons likely employer is. A system like that has been proposed may times but always shot down with "if people are concerned with privacy they can always log in!" Which doesn't help at all because people are clueless about technology and doesn't know how much some Wikipedia edits and and ip address exposes about them.

145 points by detcader 13y ago

diff in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&diff=566904988&oldid=566903734 screenshot of both diff and above-linked user page as of now: http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png

detcader 13y ago

diff in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&diff=566904988&oldid=566903734 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Snowden&di... screenshot of both diff and above-linked user page as of now: http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png http://i.imgur.com/I6HlpPX.png

detcader 13y ago
Personally my money is on the obvious explanation, i.e. that a bored/edgy staffer did this with full knowledge that people would notice. Prank or not, pretty great catch, which I can't credit myself for: https://twitter.com/TimKarr/status/363475470332854272 https://twitter.com/TimKarr/status/363475470332854272
- bendoernberg 13y ago
  Looks like the first person noticed around 5pm: https://twitter.com/schuettebop/status/363403815166296064 https://twitter.com/schuettebop/status/363403815166296064
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    It's Friday evening drinking in your office let's have fun on the internet time.
rpgmaker 13y ago
My money is on a Dianne Feinstein staffer or DiFi herself.

singularity0 13y ago

Why is this newsworthy? Several senators have already issued public statements labeling him a traitor.

Eduard 13y ago
may you tell us your IP address?
- rbanffy 13y ago
  127.0.0.1
detcader 13y ago
They didn't deface Wikipedia to claim it, though. I doubt it's Peter King having a (particularly) bad night, but we all can dream
- snowwrestler 13y ago
  Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that "anyone can edit." Although it might fly against the prevailing opinion online, I would not classify a one-word edit like this as a defacement. Whether Snowden is a dissident, traitor, or some other word (patriot?) is really a matter of opinion.
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    In the US we have a specific definition for treason which makes it pretty clear that Snowden is not a traitor.
    - mpyne 13y ago
      Well, pretty clear that they'll never prove Snowden is a traitor in court, at least. ;)
ihsw 13y ago
Because it's astroturfing. It's a small step to go from monitoring communications in real-time to directly and automatically responding to certain communications events, for example giving the appearance of interest where there is none (or the opposite, giving the appearance of disinterest). It needn't be bots posting spam but it could be trained professionals engaged in spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

9ac345a5509a 13y ago

There is no evidence that this is a Senator or anyone in a position of power. It is more likely that it is just a bored intern.

detcader 13y ago
No one's claiming that it is a Senator, but then again, is this what my tax dollars are funding?
- qq66 13y ago
  Yes, your tax dollars are funding this, but they are funding much worse. In terms of the useless: a friend ordered a $25,000 computer with 192 GB of RAM because he had a research grant for computer hardware that he had to use up. In terms of the horrifying: Extrajudicial murder of civilians.
  - detcader 13y ago
    I wasn't being serious; this was all likely just a prank anyway
- impendia 13y ago
  Yes, in addition to all of the surveillance programs being discussed, as well as the salaries of the people who lied to Congress about it.
- eli 13y ago
  If it makes you feel any better, many (most?) Senate interns are unpaid.
peterg2 13y ago
Honestly, this is the most likely answer. I doubt it would be a Senator.
- cheald 13y ago
  If only because that would actually require the Senator to be able to actually understand the technology to a degree necessary to make a Wikipedia edit.

ww520 13y ago

May be NSA can figure out who did it.

FrankenPC 13y ago

How ironic! I'd label all the current politicians traitors as well!

WestCoastJustin 13y ago

Probably not a shocker, or news worthy, but amusing to get busted like this. Snowden has been publicly called a traitor by at least two senators, "I think Snowden is a traitor -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [1], and Kerry characterized former NSA contractor as a "traitor to his country." -- US Secretary of State John Kerry [2], and there are lots of hits in Google News [3], so there are probably others. [1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/senators-demand-repercussions-for-russia-in-wake-of-snowden http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/senators-demand-repercussi... [2] http://rt.com/usa/kerry-russia-china-snowden-152/ http://rt.com/usa/kerry-russia-china-snowden-152/ [3] https://news.google.com/?q=snowden+traitor+senator https://news.google.com/?q=snowden+traitor+senator

rdtsc 13y ago
> "traitor to his country." Because for them country=government. He is a traitor to a corrupt and power hungry government. So that description is accurate.
- saraid216 13y ago
  > Because for them country=government. Drawing a distinction between the government and a non-government is pretty much the antithesis of democracy.
  - autodidakto 13y ago
    Yet here we are.
  - Gormo 13y ago
    If 'democracy' entails equating the political state with civil society, than 'democracy' is just a euphemism for 'totalitarianism'. In a free society, 'democracy' refers exactly to distinguishing the state from the rest of society, so as to ensure that the former remains subordinate and accountable to the latter.
    - saraid216 13y ago

sologoub 13y ago

Feinstein (D-Calif.)? http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/304573-sen-feinstein-snowdens-leaks-are-treason http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/304...

ihsw 13y ago
Have you seen her direct the NSA-related congressional hearings? She's definitely a dusty old battle-axe, but I'd wager that her computer skills (or lack thereof) impede her ability to edit Wikipedia articles.
- superconductor 13y ago
  She probably wouldn't go near Wikipedia - a haven for radical idealists to spread their propaganda. It'd be flat-out unpatriotic.
- sologoub 13y ago
  Sorry, this was meant in jest.

bbx 13y ago

The latest revision reads as "American fugitive intelligence analyst". On a side note, the user is registered to WikiPedia, and his contributions page [1] hints at his awareness of the public availability of these contributions (and of their IP address). Maybe he didn't want to hide the origin of this edit, or maybe it was a clumsy mistake. There isn't much more to tell. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/156.33.241.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/156.33.2...

detcader 13y ago
Now all we have to do is pinpoint the one US Senator interested in revolvers, Islamic historical sites, people straddling the exec boards of multiple large corporations, and tiki bars in San Francisco.
- detcader 13y ago
  Actually, a McCain wedding was at that tiki bar: http://sfist.com/2013/06/03/a_very_sf_mccain_wedding.php http://sfist.com/2013/06/03/a_very_sf_mccain_wedding.php
- kennywinker 13y ago
  Probably not an actual senator, but someone on a senator's staff.
Buge 13y ago
What do you mean the user is registered? If the user was registered, it would show the username instead of the IP address.

nisdec 13y ago

http://youtu.be/4Sg4AtcW0LU?t=5m3s http://youtu.be/4Sg4AtcW0LU?t=5m3s

ToothlessJake 13y ago

The United States government is serving as a cash funnel/legal immunity shield to corporations sometimes made by the government itself[1]. Anyone who defects from or defies them is labeled a traitor or prosecuted in full[2]. Those who attempt to collate information on these entities and persons are tracked by the sitting government at the behest of these immune corporations[3]. All the while tax payer resources are used to forcibly alter public opinion on a subject involving government conflict of interests. Great. [1] (Project PM) http://wiki.echelon2.org/wiki/Endgame_Systems http://wiki.echelon2.org/wiki/Endgame_Systems [2] (Started Project PM) http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett-brown http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett... [3] (DoJ Seeking Info on Project PM) http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/doj-issues-subpoena-for-info-on-barrett-browns-project-pm-site/ http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/doj-issues-subpoe...

jaekwon 13y ago
^^^ This. This is what we're up against. A steaming pile of moral hazard.

Aloha 13y ago

While calling him a traitor is a valid point of view, its not NPOV, the foundation wiki is built on. FWIW, I think is a hero - and I suspect he will come to be regarded as such by most Americans.

Qantourisc 13y ago

This is probably not a great comment, but this one of the lamest edits I have seen.

INTPenis 13y ago

Kind of childish if you ask me. Are they really that eager to judge? Of course they are, they're only people. Which is why we shouldn't give them any power over us that isn't 100% transparent.

bjourne 13y ago

Laughs at the US senate aside, it really sucks that Wikipedia hasn't implemented a simple ip anonymizing system yet. They could simply hash the ip of anonymous contributions so then you could still see the persons edit history but not run a whois query and figure out what that persons likely employer is. A system like that has been proposed may times but always shot down with "if people are concerned with privacy they can always log in!" Which doesn't help at all because people are clueless about technology and doesn't know how much some Wikipedia edits and and ip address exposes about them.