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Information Warfare: Catching Up With China

February 5, 2015: Wikipedia has become such a popular source of information that even many government and military personnel now use it a lot. This includes military planners and intelligence agency personnel. This despite, or because of the fact that Wikipedia entries can be edited by just about anyone. Wikipedia has an editorial system that seeks to keep the information as accurate as possible but a growing number of countries and organizations (government and otherwise) are finding that they can influence public opinion and perceptions by making subtle edits that are not noticed (and deleted) by Wikipedia editors. Wikipedia users will sometimes spot these changes and alert Wikipedia, which usually leads to removal of the change. Wikipedia can trace the location of those making edits and a lot of the politically suspect ones tend to come from government office buildings. China and Russia were pioneers in the area, which is not unusual because during the Cold War Russia was a major practitioner of international media manipulation. In China, the less regulated business world found that it was possible to get away with all sorts of media manipulation via the Internet as long as you stayed away from political subjects or criticizing the government. Many other countries have intel agencies and military staffs that are trying catch up to Chinese and Russian abilities to exploit the Internet for military and intelligence purposes.

Wikipedia and search engines in general have long been noted as useful to government agencies. For example in 2008 Google (the company) received a contract with the U.S. government to supply computer servers (hard drives) equipped with the software Google uses to run its popular Google search engine. The CIA, NSA and Department of Defense use these servers in closed (cut off from the Internet) systems that hold classified information, and allow espionage and intelligence personnel to more quickly find, and share, information. The data is generally displayed in Wikipedia type format, so that users can update it.

The intelligence agencies have found that Google search and the Wikipedia format are popular with their staff and analysts. Thus using Google and wiki type software was the easiest way to build a more efficient data storage and retrieval system. The only downside is that the data is only available at buildings where the special servers are located, and hooked up to a cabled (not wireless) network.

All these search (Google) and information (Wikipedia) tools are not always used as intended by the government employees assigned to do the work. Audits, at least when the results go public, reveal a lot of misuse. Government employees often mix business and pleasure. Thus google capabilities are used for personal matters and Wikipedia edits are often applied to things like the reputation of a civil servants favorite movie star. Again, China has been found to be far ahead of the West in this area.

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Information Warfare: Catching Up With China

Correctional Service Canada is deciding whether to punish employees who used work computers to make inappropriate edits on Wikipedia.

Among the changes was a Jan. 26, 2014 entry about Fenbrook Institution, a medium-security prison in Gravenhurst, Ont., that Correctional Service Canada manages.

The current Wikipedia entry about the facility is benign, with straightforward descriptions such as the number of inmates, when it was built, and the fact that it has merged with Beaver Creek Institution.

But in the January 2014 Wikipedia edit which is traceable to an Internet protocol address registered to Corrections Fenbrook was described as having the largest concentration of homosexual inmates in the entire Ontario Region.

Another Wikipedia edit from 2011 described Peter North, a Canadian-born adult film actor, producer and director as a big queer.

The edits have been corrected but are still accessible online since Wikipedia keeps track of changes.

The story about the edits was first reported in the Ottawa Citizen and based on a Twitter account that flags anonymous Wikipedia edits from government computers.

CSC is actively reviewing this matter and will determine disciplinary measures as appropriate, said spokeswoman Vronique Rioux, adding that the department did not remove or request the deletion of the edits.

Rioux said the comments made by those CSC staff involved are their own and do not represent the values or opinions of CSC in any way.

As per policy, limited personal use of CSCs electronic resources is permitted. At all time, employees must abide by the laws, government policies, directives and any other instructions published by CSC when using electronic resources, Rioux added.

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Corrections department investigating unauthorized Wikipedia edits

You probably already owe a debt of gratitude to Wikipedia for helping you get through endless essays and research projects in college, but don't retire those browsing skills just yet. Linknotize is yet another board game that actually requires the players to keep their phones, tablets, or laptops close at hand, because in order to win, you need to click your way between two topics using just an online encyclopedia.

Think of it as a modern take on 'six degrees of separation', but instead of connecting random celebrities, you're connecting random topics assigned from a stack of cards using nothing but in-article links on Wikipedia, or your online encyclopedia of choice. Players have a maximum of three minutes or ten clicks to link one topic to the next, but the faster you can finish with the fewest number of clicks, the better chance you'll have at victory over your opponents.

It's the perfect game for anyone who's ever found themselves falling down the infinitely deep rabbit hole that is Wikipedia, but don't assume you'll instantly be a master. It actually takes a few games to familiarize yourself with certain posts that serve as gateways to other topics. For example, do you know where to find a list of every state in the country on Wikipedia? That's an invaluable tool if you're hunting for landmarks.

The game is now available directly from the Linknotize website for just $25, but you'll also have to factor in the cost of an internet connection, a device with a web browser, and the countless hours of productivity you lost surfing Wikipedia while in college. [Linknotize]

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A Board Game That Relies On the Wikipedia Skills You Learned In College

veronica varekova wikipedia

By: besna durul

Excerpt from:
veronica varekova wikipedia - Video

La Guerra Civil Finlandesa fue parte del caos social y nacionalista ocasionado en Europa en las postrimeras de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Tuvo lugar en Finlandia, desde el 27 de enero hasta el 15 de mayo de 1918. De un lado se encontraban las fuerzas socialdemcratas, dirigidas por la delegacin popular de Finlandia, comnmente conocidos como rojos (punaiset). De otro lado se encontraban las fuerzas del senado, controladas por los conservadores desde el otoo anterior, que pretendan mantener el statu quo (retener la independencia y la monarqua constitucional sin parlamentarismo). Eran popularmente conocidos como blancos (valkoiset). Los rojos recibieron la ayuda de la Rusia Bolchevique, mientras los blancos fueron apoyados militarmente por el II Imperio Alemn.

Los finlandeses tienen muchos nombres para este conflicto: vapaussota (Guerra de Libertad), kansalaissota or sisllissota (Guerra Civil), luokkasota (Guerra de Clases), punakapina (Rebelin Roja), torpparikapina (rebelin de los minifundistas), veljessota (la guerra entre hermanos) e incluso vallankumous (Revolucin). Los historiadores actuales sealan que todos estos nombres diferentes son igual de vlidos, aunque difieren en sus cargas propagandsticas.

Las revoluciones de febrero y octubre de 1917 precipitaron la derrota y total colapso del Imperio ruso, cuya cada repercuti en la ruptura de la sociedad finesa. Los socialdemcratas y los conservadores compitieron por el liderazgo del estado fins, que bascul de la izquierda a la derecha en 1917. Ambos grupos colaboraron con las fuerzas polticas correspondientes en Rusia, ahondando en la brecha nacional abierta.

Puesto que Finlandia no dispona de ejrcito o polica definidos despus de marzo de 1917, ambos bandos comenzaron a reclutar sus propios grupos de seguridad, lo que llev al surgimiento de dos tropas militares independientes, la Guardia Blanca y la Guardia Roja. Entre los finlandeses se extendi una atmsfera de tensin poltica y miedo, hasta que en enero de 1918 la espiral de violencia condujo al estallido de la contienda.

Los blancos resultaron victoriosos en la consecuente guerra, y pasaron desde la esfera de influencia rusa a la alemana. El senado conservador intent establecer una monarqua finlandesa, con un rey alemn: el prncipe Federico Carlos de Hesse-Kassel, pero tras la derrota alemana en la Gran Guerra, Finlandia emergi como una repblica democrtica independiente.

La guerra civil sigue siendo el evento ms controvertido y emocional en la historia de la Finlandia moderna, y han existido disputas sobre el nombre que deba darse al conflicto. Aproximadamente 37.000 personas murieron durante el conflicto, lo que incluye tanto bajas en el frente como muertes causadas por campaas de terror poltico y un alto ndice de mortandad en los campos de prisioneros. Malogr la economa finlandesa, y dividi el aparato poltico y la nacin finlandesa durante muchos aos. El pas se cohesion lentamente gracias a compromisos por parte de los partidos polticos moderados y concesiones desde la izquierda y la derecha.

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Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre