Information Vandalism

Information Vandalism is the willful destruction or defacement of public or private information. In the same vein as vandalism is the destrcution of public or property of property, information vandalism is the equivalent but towards information. Information Vandalism can the take form of adding, deleting or modifying text, pictures, and other content. The result of this vandalism is degrading, misleading, or for the purpose of satire.The prominence of information vandalism is correlated with wikis and their popularity. Wikis and other collaborative editing sites are where information vandalism originates, but other websites and media company will perpetuate information. As wikis rise in popularity, the importance of regulating their content as well as preventing this vandalism has shown to be incredibly important. Celebrities, companies, politicians and others have become the victim and these acts, and their consequences can have serious effects.

Wikipedia

Background

As the world's largest wiki, Wikipedia controls a tremendous amount of information. As more and more people rely on Wikipedia for informationa and it gains more trust among readers, it becomes vital that the wiki stays up to date and accurate.

Prevention

Autonomous Agents

One of the most important tools that Wikipedia employs to keep the wiki protected from vandalism is autonomous agents. AAs or more commonly referred to as "bots" are used to detect errors, inappropriate content, and other types of vandalism before a

Rules and Policies

In efforts to keep the "anyone can edit" policy

Notable Instances

John Seigenthaler, Sr.

John Seigenthaler, Sr. is an American

Hillsborough Disaster

The Hillsborough Disaster