Information Vandalism

Information Vandalism is the willful destruction or defacement of public or private information. In the same vein as vandalism is the destruction of public or private property, information vandalism is the equivalent but towards information. Information Vandalism can take the 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 and the 5th most popular site both globally and in US, Wikipedia controls a tremendous amount of information. More and more people rely on Wikipedia for information and as it gains more trust among readers, it is vital that the wiki stays up to date and accurate. Over time, Wikipedia has been the source of major information vandalism incidents. Having both a large network while also being a trusted source, has made it a great target for vandals to infiltrate. Wikipedia has incorporated systems to both combat vandalism while also prevent attacks from happening to begin with.

Prevention

Autonomous Agents

One of the most important tools that Wikipedia employs to keep the wiki protected from vandalism is autonomous agents. Autonomous agents are intelligent agents that act according to guidelines given by an owner but without direct interference from the owner. Wikipedia employs autonomous agents by using bots to edit, review, and detect possible vandalism. One of the bots Wikipedia employs is ClueBotNG. By using predefined instructions, the bot looks for inappropriate language,

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

Ethical Issues

Governance

There are many debates about the construction of how Wikipedia and other wikis are governed and edited.