The editor's IP address was tracked back to the US Senate

The edit was made one day after Edward Snowden was granted political asylum in Russia


A member of the US Senate was caught this week trying to make a rather conspicuous edit to Edward Snowden's Wikipedia page .

In a move sure to grind the gears of conspiracy theorists everywhere, a member of the US Senate recently edited Snowden's Wikipedia page from describing him as a 'dissident' to a traitor, according to the entry's changelog. The user's IP address was quickly traced back to the US Senate.

It is not clear if the person is an active Senator, a staffer or an intern, but the change certainly came from the Senate.
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Tell us how you really feel: An editor with an IP address traced back to the US Senate attempted to change Edward Snowden's wikipedia entry to call him a 'traitor'
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First noticed by Wikipedia watchdog Wikipediocracy, the change is not the first made by that user, but is the first malicious act, according to the IP address' Wikipedia activity log.

The attempted edit, made August 2, was rejected by a moderator on the grounds it 'seemed less than neutral,' according to the posted rejection, which also listed the IP address and showed it was registered to the US Senate.

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In a somewhat transparent move, the edit came one day after Snowden was granted a one year asylum in Russia. While opinions may be divided on what Snowden really is, Wikipedia generally snuffs partisan edits out pretty quickly.

Other entries made by the Capitol Hill regular include deleting a word from the first paragraph of an entry for 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven,' clarifying that the FSIS is part of the USDA, not the FDA in an entry for 'Pork,' and correctly noting in the entry for the 'Ruger Super Redhawk' that the firearm is still 'in production' with '4" availability,' among others.

The editor likely wasn't aware Wikipedia tracks IP addresses and didn't know the change would be tracked back to the Hill - or maybe they did and it's all just part of a bigger conspiracy.