Here at last: Wikipedia is a threat to society Options Rating

[Daniel Brandt]

What Wikipedia needs is more disinformation!

Says Ray Saintonge:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikie...uly/078315.html

One way of dealing with the various outings of SV would be for everyone to go to his favorite blog site to out her as well. Naturally, each person that does this would "out" her as a different person. With enough of these out there, who could possibly know which is the correct identification.

And also Matthew Brown:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikie...uly/078320.html

It occurs to me that if one is concerned about remaining anonymous on Wikipedia, the best way to encourage that is, if someone thinks they've identified you but is in fact wrong, to protest that identification very strongly, to appear to be really concerned about it and try to get it suppressed. That way, everyone will follow the red herring and not look any further.

David Gerard says it's time to smear Pierre Salinger by starting an article on the "Pierre Salinger Syndrome":
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikie...uly/078298.html

http://www.wordspy.com/words/PierreSalingersyndrome.asp
Do we have an article on [[Pierre Salinger syndrome]] yet? The term certainly has enough references in print.

Tell your grandchildren that you were there at the precise moment when Wikipedia evolved from a childish video game that tries to be an encyclopedia, to a childish video game that's a threat to the public's right to know.

[LamontStormstar]

Its main threat still remains that it puts reliable encyclopedias out of business while it replaces them with innacurate information.

[Somey]

The one that struck me the most was actually this one, from someone calling himself "Milos Rancic." On a free WordPress blog entry apparently set up specifically for the purpose, he insists that everything posted about SlimVirgin here and on Wikipedia-Watch is "trash," because "it is not possible to check" the claims made on both sites.

This is basically the essence of Wikiality - if you don't like something, just censor it out of existence so that you can pretend that what you do like is the truth. It has nothing to do with morality or ethics whatsoever; the only purpose is the maintenance of authority and the promotion of personal agendas.

I mean, we all saw the slimvirgin.com domain registration before it was proxied, we all saw the link in the Cambridge alumni listing, and he even claims that the name "Sarah" is "not found" because it's not on Wikipedia, even though there are dozens, if not hundreds, of archived WikiEN-L postings still extant in which she signs her name "Sarah" (like this one, among many others). I'd almost go to the extent of suggesting that "Milos Rancic" isn't a real person, but rather someone set up, sort of like Ray "User:El_C" Saintonge has suggested, specifically to spread disinformation and lies.

[Daniel Brandt]

Exactly right, Somey. I saw that and couldn't believe what I was reading. The only thing comparable is SlimVirgin changing her domain registration to a proxy service after we had all been observing it for 1.5 years, and then getting King's College at Cambridge to delete their listing for Linda Mack, after we had all been mousing over the thing for almost a year, seeing her "slimvirgin1@yahoo.com" email address.

This is so typically Wikipedia. They think if they delete something, it never existed. Just like zapping something in a video game.

[LamontStormstar]

Exactly right, Somey. I saw that and couldn't believe what I was reading. The only thing comparable is SlimVirgin changing her domain registration to a proxy service after we had all been observing it for 1.5 years, and then getting King's College at Cambridge to delete their listing for Linda Mack, after we had all been mousing over the thing for almost a year, seeing her "slimvirgin1@yahoo.com" email address.

This is so typically Wikipedia. They think if they delete something, it never existed. Just like zapping something in a video game.

What was her domain registration before it was hidden?

Also was a slimvirgin1@yahoo.com actually listed as the email address of a "Linda Mack"?

[Daniel Brandt]

What was her domain registration before it was hidden?

Also was a slimvirgin1@yahoo.com actually listed as the email address of a "Linda Mack"?

It was slimvirgin.com. You can still see some useless stuff at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://slimvirgin.com

It was registered to S. McEwan at a PO box in Swalwell, Alberta. The phone number was useless; Patrick Byrne told me that he tried it. I don't even know if Swalwell has a post office. The email on the registration was slimvirgin1@yahoo.com

The answer to your second question is "yes" — exactly the same email address under "Linda Mack" on the alumni list at King's College, Cambridge philosophy department as on the domain registration for S. McEwan.

[michael]

Regarding Ray Saintonge. Geez, what the fuck is this, Spartacus? "I'm SlimVirgin!" "No, I'm SlimVirgin!" "No, I'm SlimVirgin!"

[The Adversary]

It would be nice if David Gerard did a minimum of research before he posted to wikiEN-L; the article [[Pierre Salinger syndrome]] was deleted in 2006, as a neologism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Art...linger_syndrome

[JohnA]

All I can think about are "memory holes", "speakwrites" and "all of history was a palimpsest"

I've got to lie down...

[blissyu2]

The one that struck me the most was actually this one, from someone calling himself "Milos Rancic." On a free WordPress blog entry apparently set up specifically for the purpose, he insists that everything posted about SlimVirgin here and on Wikipedia-Watch is "trash," because "it is not possible to check" the claims made on both sites.

This is very interesting reading. The first part that I found odd was that he refused to give a name to either the Slashdot posting or the article, simply referring to them as "the slashdot post" and "the article". He also refused to give a name to us (even though he linked here), instead referring to us as "a forum post". Surely it is relevant in any critical analysis to include such relevant details as titles and names and such?

Also, the part where he says "Slim signs her name as Sarah on Wikipedia -> not found" was something that *WE* found, and it was then oversighted by Jayjg.

Also, it says that we haven't referenced things. Yes, we have. It's just that what we need (perhaps in a blog post?) is to coordinate everything that we've uncovered on this issue. Does anyone want to spare the time to do it?

It didn't read so much as disinformation so much as someone who is incredibly gullible. But then again, it is sometimes hard to tell who are the disinformation peddlers and who are the gullible people who go along with it.

[GlassBeadGame]

What Wikipedia needs is more disinformation!

And also Matthew Brown:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikie...uly/078320.html

It occurs to me that if one is concerned about remaining anonymous on Wikipedia, the best way to encourage that is, if someone thinks they've identified you but is in fact wrong, to protest that identification very strongly, to appear to be really concerned about it and try to get it suppressed. That way, everyone will follow the red herring and not look any further.

I had to read Mr. Brown' s statement a couple of times before it dawned on me. At first I just thought he hadn't thought it through. I mean if you wanted to make a credible denial you would have to do so through the real identity not the pseudonym. But then I got it. Brownie is advocating identity theft. Heck of a job...

[thekohser]

I'd almost go to the extent of suggesting that "Milos Rancic" isn't a real person, but rather someone set up, sort of like Ray "User:El_C" Saintonge has suggested, specifically to spread disinformation and lies.

I think it's Runcorn. An obvious anagram of "Milos Rancic" is "I Claim Corns".

Pure amateur.

Greg

P.S. Either that, or he's just an "ironic clam".

[Somey]

Actually, there's a photo of him on ziki.com, which appears to be some sort of blog aggregator. He's from Belgrade, Serbia, which probably doesn't mean anything in itself... although there are those who feel that Serbians have a certain propensity for distorting the historical record, for a variety of purposes that might include diminishing their level of responsibility for World War I, and by extension the rest of the 20th Century, for example.

I'm just sayin'...

[LamontStormstar]

What was her domain registration before it was hidden?

Also was a slimvirgin1@yahoo.com actually listed as the email address of a "Linda Mack"?

It was slimvirgin.com. You can still see some useless stuff at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://slimvirgin.com

It was registered to S. McEwan at a PO box in Swalwell, Alberta. The phone number was useless; Patrick Byrne told me that he tried it. I don't even know if Swalwell has a post office. The email on the registration was slimvirgin1@yahoo.com

The answer to your second question is "yes" — exactly the same email address under "Linda Mack" on the alumni list at King's College, Cambridge philosophy department as on the domain registration for S. McEwan.

Tha proves it. This evidence should go up somewhere.

[guy]

I think it's Runcorn. An obvious anagram of "Milos Rancic" is "I Claim Corns".

As plausible as anything else said about Runcorn.

[Cedric]

What was her domain registration before it was hidden?

Also was a slimvirgin1@yahoo.com actually listed as the email address of a "Linda Mack"?

It was slimvirgin.com. You can still see some useless stuff at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://slimvirgin.com

It was registered to S. McEwan at a PO box in Swalwell, Alberta. The phone number was useless; Patrick Byrne told me that he tried it. I don't even know if Swalwell has a post office. The email on the registration was slimvirgin1@yahoo.com

The answer to your second question is "yes" — exactly the same email address under "Linda Mack" on the alumni list at King's College, Cambridge philosophy department as on the domain registration for S. McEwan.

From the helpful folks at Canada Post: there is one post office in Swalwell, AB; post code T0M 1Y0.

[Daniel Brandt]

From the helpful folks at Canada Post: there is one post office in Swalwell, AB; post code T0M 1Y0.

That's cool. Looks like a tiny little office. Now then, will they tell you who rented Box 112 as of 2002-05-07? That's probably impossible to find out unless you put on a shiny red Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniform, and ride up on a horse.

It might be easier to start asking around about a poodle that looks very unhappy in a snowsuit.

[GlassBeadGame]

I just had a very unpleasant thought. What if SlimVirgin is an intelligence operative? What if Jayjg is an outright sockpuppet of Slimvirgin? What if Jayjg does systematically abuses Checkuser. Maybe I don't appreciate the limits or controls in place. Maybe there aren't that many. This might have serious--- an I don't mean the kind of nonsense that admins bitch about--- but serious---as in state intelligence suppressing domestic and foreign dissidents who happen to edit in sensitive area or express views. These people have been promised a level of privacy that they have relied upon. The WMF needs to appropriate steps to ascertain to determine if this has occurred. It needs to report its finding to the users and the wider community.

This may be so much worse than CharlotteWeb. The difference is that between lightning and the lightning bug.

[Daniel Brandt]

That's a good point, GlassBeadGame. Anyone with CheckUser access should be not only be required to use their real name on Wikipedia, but should also be vetted by the Foundation Board, at least to the extent of trying to check out their references and their work history.

We don't know a damn thing about Jayjg, except that he's as suspicious as SlimVirgin. Jimmy knows, and his knee-jerk dismissal of this issue makes it all the more suspicious. This is a perfect situation for the Board to intervene and ask Jayjg to identify himself, or take away his CheckUser access.

We have a Foreign Agents Registration Act in the U.S. If the Justice Department wasn't so screwed up at the moment, it might be worthwhile trying to send out some letters to our representatives and various federal officials.

One Canadian who commented on the Ohmynews site about SlimVirgin said that they would contact their representative about SlimVirgin. Apparently MI5 needs the permission of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service before mucking around on Canadian territory.

[Nathan]

One Canadian who commented on the Ohmynews site about SlimVirgin said that they would contact their representative about SlimVirgin. Apparently MI5 needs the permission of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service before mucking around on Canadian territory.

So would any other "foreign" intelligence agency operating on Canadian soil.

That's cool. Looks like a tiny little office. Now then, will they tell you who rented Box 112 as of 2002-05-07? That's probably impossible to find out unless you put on a shiny red Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniform, and ride up on a horse.

Or city police, or provincial (state) police or CSIS...