A new data-mining service that makes it possible to match the IP address of anonymous Wikipedia users with companies and organizations has confirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency is editing entries. The entries which have been edited by the CIA include those on its own agency, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Richard Nixon, Pope Benedict XVI, secret societies, fortune cookies, and the Beatles.

The Democratic and Republican parties, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Health have also made their fair share of edits. As far as corporations go, Diebold, Amgen, Pfizer, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Apple, and Exxon Mobil have all made changes. Not to be outdone, the news agencies of Fox News, the New York Times, and Al-Jazeera have also participated.

Many of the edits simply involve updating information or making corrections. However, others have used the service for the purpose of deleting controversial information. Diebold, for example, deleted entire paragraphs detailing the integrity of their voting machines and the company’s fund-raising activities for George Bush. Wal-Mart made changes to their entry as well, changing a line which stated that they pay their employees less than other retailers to incorrectly state that they pay more than twice the minimum wage.

Strangely enough, Fox News was caught altering Al Franken’s entry. In an effort to avoid bad press, certain changes were made to Franken’s page concerning the lawsuit brought against him by Fox. Additional information is available in the video below.

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