WikiScanner Mania

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Tech Observer

Main

Contact Overload! Skype Down -- So Much for Telephone ...

Aug 16 2007 9:43AM EDT

The Internet Wonder of the Moment goes to WikiScanner, a site developed by self-described "mad scientist; disruptive technologist" Virgil Griffith. It allows anyone to see who has edited changes to Wikipedia, and what changes they've made. Well, that is...if you can get on the site. It has apparently been so overwhelmed, it keeps crashing.

But plenty of juicy stuff has already flowed from WikiScanner, and Wired has been assembling a running tally. It exposes that the NRA added language that says Iraq was involved in the 9/11 terrorist acts; Exxon heavily edited the page about the Valdez oil spill; and someone from Walt Disney took out negative paragraphs about Digitial Rights Management.

We'll look for more once the site is up. Let us know if you find any good ones.

(Photo of Griffith from his Web page.)

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