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On January 27, 2006, the Lowell Sun of Massachusetts published an article [1] entitled "Rewriting history under the dome". This story unveiled the editing by Congressional staff members of Congressman Marty Meehan's Wikipedia entry.

"Matt Vogel, Meehan's chief of staff, said he authorized an intern in July to replace existing Wikipedia content with a staff-written biography of the lawmaker."

Further investigation by Wikipedia members discovered well over a thousand edits by IP addresses allocated to the US House of Representatives and Senate. These edits had, among others, added libelous statements, removed content with malice, added childish insults, and violated Wikipedia Policy. This has resulted in the blocking of at least one of the IP addresses [2] and the opening of a request for comments page.

Contents 1 Review of Edits 1.1 United States Congress 1.1.1 United States House of Representatives 1.1.1.1 Range: 143.228.0.0/16 1.1.1.2 Range: 143.231.0.0/16 1.1.1.3 Partial list of House edits 1.1.1.4 Potential House staffers involved 1.1.1.5 Congressman Meehan's response 1.1.2 United States Senate 1.1.2.1 Range: 156.33.0.0/16 1.1.3 Appropriate Congressional edit process 1.2 Other US Government 1.2.1 Central Intelligence Agency 1.2.1.1 Range: 198.81.128.0/18 1.2.2 United States Department of Justice 1.2.2.1 Range: 149.101.0.0/16 1.2.3 Navy/Marines in Pensacola 1.2.3.1 Range: 138.162.0.0/16

[edit] Review of Edits

Key:

G - represents good faith contributors

T - represents test editors

P - represents POV (point of view) pushers

V - represents vandals

[edit] United States Congress

[edit] United States House of Representatives

[edit] Range: 143.228.0.0/16

This list contains 1 IP that originated from this range. This list is complete.

[edit] Range: 143.231.0.0/16

This list contains 1 IP that originated from this range. This list is complete.

- Already blocked. The original IP address, possibly used by staff of Congressman Meehan and possibly other House of Representatives staff members, registering over 1000 edits over hundreds of articles.

The block was lifted January 30, 2006. A new block for additional vandalism was enforced for three hours February 1, 2006 at 14:59.

[edit] Partial list of House edits

Other politicians and political articles edited with House IP Addresses are:

• Joe Wilson (U.S. politician) (Congressman SC, not Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson)
• Richard Pombo (Removing referenced to possible ties to Jack Abramoff and many other npov yet politically damaging items),
• Pete McCloskey,
• Dennis Hastert,
• Dave Hobson (removed statement that Hobson supports stem cell research),
• Connie Mack IV,
• United States House of Representatives Page,
• Dan Lungren,
• Chris Cannon,
• Joy Padgett,
• Tom Lantos,
• United States House of Representatives, New Jersey District 13,
• Trent Lott (editing references to his rumored actions... I guess they would know),
• Phil Gramm (removing quotes I wouldn't want anyone to see if I had to run for re-election),
• Frank Pallone,
• John Colyandro,
• Todd Akin,
• John Doolittle,
• Dana Priest,
• Jerrold Nadler,
• Rick Renzi (removing a section titled "Ethical Questions"),
• Nathan Deal,
• Ralph Herseth,
• Trent Franks,
• Rick Kahn,
• Lois Pines,
• Dana Priest,
• Bill O'Reilly (commentator),
• Rafael Diaz-Balart,
• Nic Lott,
• Jim Ramstad (removing reference to his "moderate\ liberal" tendancies,
• Trent Franks (replacing article with official House bio),
• Bill Pascrell, Jr.,
• Darrell Issa (removing references to pro-palestinian actions),
• Talk:Jim Nussle (removing talk section titles 'Republican conspiracy'),
• Jim Nussle (removing references to his divorce),
• Bob Etheridge,
• Darrell Issa (removing quotes supporting Hezbollah),
• Rick Renzi (replacing article with official House bio),
• Fred Upton,
• Rodney Frelinghuysen (removing information about financial contributions),
• John Abizaid,
• J. D. Hayworth,
• Roy Blunt,
• Doc Hastings,
• Sam Johnson (removing unflattering quotes),
• Mark Green (removing references to "unethical campaign finance practices",references to his ties with Tom DeLay, and other unflattering details),
• Mary Bono,
• Vern Ehlers,
• Bill Jefferson,
• Mary Landrieu,
• Eric Cantor,
• Bill Frist,
• David Dreier (removing unflattering information about his 2004 campaign),
• Discovery Institute,
• Rob Andrews,
• Lee Terry,
• Bobby Jindal,
• Duncan Hunter,
• Joe Barton,
• John Salazar,
• Marc Maron,
• New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2005,
• Frank Lucas,
• Closed sessions of the United States House of Representatives,
• John Boozman,
• Chris Cannon,
• Mac Thornberry,
• Sherrod Brown,
• Dana Bash,
• Jane Harman,
• Jerrold Nadler,
• Jim Ramstad,
• Nancy Johnson (politician),
• Jerry Weller (adding self promoting material and removing questions of a conflict of interest),
• Ben Bernanke,
• Hurricane Katrina,
• Henry Waxman,
• Rahm Emanuel,
• Henry Clay,
• Pete Williams,
• Kelly Young,
• 21st Century Democrats,
• Tom Daschle,
• Eric Fingerhut,
• Podcasting (This past summer, the House Republican Conference, under Chairman Deborah Pryce, began podcasting all their press events.),
• Ernest Istook,
• Tom DeLay,
• Bob Riley (Alabama),
• Office of the Law Revision Counsel,
• Nita Lowey,
• Bob Taft (removing ties to Jack Abramoff),
• United States Constitution,
• Bernie Sanders,
• Major Owens,
• Gregory W. Meeks,
• Jim Leach,
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
• Antonin Scalia,
• List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States,
• Ward Connerly (adding libelous comment),
• People For the American Way,
• Ralph Neas (attempting to categorize him as "socialist"),
• MoveOn (changing liberal to "left-wing"),
• Jo Ann Davis,
• Posse Comitatus Act,
• United States Capitol Police,
• Angela Davis,
• Barbara Jordan,
• Alan Keyes,
• Iraq on the Record Report,
• Ed Royce,
• Pardon,
• William F. Buckley, Jr.,
• 2003 Invasion of Iraq (saying there was a connection between Iraq and al-Qaeda),
• American liberalism,
• Barry Goldwater,
• Liberalism,
• Eric Burns (political strategist) (blanking article),
• Amo Houghton,
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
• Samara Barend,
• Randy Kuhl (removing scandal related information),
• U.S. House elections, 2006,
• Fred Upton,
• Jo Bonner,
• Gary Ackerman,
• Ralph Yarborough,
• Robert C. Scott,
• Al Green (politician),
• Jim Sensenbrenner (removing information in "Controversy" section),
• Paul S. Trible, Jr.,
• William Lacy Clay, Jr.,
• Nancy Pelosi (entering libelous statements),
• Nathan Deal,
• William Donald Schaefer,
• Harry Reid,
• James Stockdale,
• Paul Driessen,
• Republican Party (United States),
• Che Guevara,
• Tammy Baldwin,
• Ray LaHood,
• G. K. Butterfield,
• Steve Buyer.

[edit] Potential House staffers involved

• Someone who has spoken to Phil Crane

as represented in the entry saying "I spoke with Mr. Crane last week and he was never a staff member to then former VP Richard Nixon."

• Chris Taylor, American political star, Assistant Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House

as represented in this entry

• "Noah," staff member to Jim Ramstad (who someone believes is "the best ever")

as represented in this entry

• Philip Schmidt (communications director for Congressman Jose E. Serrano)

as represented in this entry, someone believes "He's one hell of a model American."

• Laurent Crenshaw, Former Deputy Press Secretary to the House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, and Legislative Assistant to Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49).

as represented in this entry, someone added him to the list of Famous alumni of Stanford University.

• Nick Culp, staff assistant to Fred Upton

as represented in this entry, with someone saying he "is the best looking employee in all of Congress."

[edit] Congressman Meehan's response

Congressman Marty Meehan has responded to the January 27, 2006, the Lowell Sun of Massachusetts article [3]:

Yesterday's story, "Rewriting history under the dome," accurately reported that in July of 2005 an intern in my office responsible for updating my biography also updated my online Wikipedia entry. I did not know that this change was being made at the time and was only made aware of it yesterday when informed that The Sun had inquired about it. Though the actual time spent on this issue amounted to 11 minutes, according to server logs, I do not consider it time well spent or approve of it in any way.

Part of being an elected official is to be regularly commented on, praised, and criticized on the Web. For example, one of the many anonymous users who have edited my own Wikipedia entry also updated Sen. Tom Daschle's entry by adding that Daschle is a "professional hack" and that "his brain was significantly altered" after his office was targeted by terrorists in the anthrax attacks on the Capitol in 2001. This is a predictable and unavoidable part of being in public life and, tempting as it may be to get involved, we should not. The Internet is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions. It was a waste of energy and an error in judgment on the part of my staff to have allowed any time to be spent on updating my Wikipedia entry. I thank The Sun for bringing it to my attention.'

MARTY MEEHAN U.S. Representative

[edit] United States Senate

[edit] Range: 156.33.0.0/16

This list contains 175 IPs that originated from this range and edited Wikipedia. This list is complete. One IP is included that had all its edits deleted.

[edit] Appropriate Congressional edit process

• Emily Lawrimore Communications Director Congressman Joe Wilson

as represented by her entry creating a talk page for Joe Wilson, listing a request for someone to "update his bio with information from the following official bio too?"

Important note from Jimbo: this was an 'excellent' edit to a Talk page, after this staffer emailed me to ask about the appropriate way to request an update to Wikipedia. I suggested that she post information to the talk page, and she did so. After she did so, she blanked herself and emailed me again, essentially not REALLY sure this was ok. Her actions were 100% perfect in every respect, treating us appropriately. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jimbo Wales (talk • contribs).

[edit] Other US Government

[edit] Central Intelligence Agency

[edit] Range: 198.81.128.0/18

This list contains 3 IPs that originated from this range. This list is complete.

[edit] United States Department of Justice

[edit] Range: 149.101.0.0/16

This list contains 15 IPs that originated from this range. This list is complete. (2/9)

[edit] Navy/Marines in Pensacola

[edit] Range: 138.162.0.0/16

This list contains 3 IPs that originated from this range. This list is complete.