State workers' Wiki: breasts, beer and Lil' Kim

I f you haven't visited Wikipedia lately, you might be surprised to learn that Tampa native turned porn star Avy Scott does not have breast implants.

For this history-altering wisdom, you can thank someone at the Florida Department of Health.

By the grace of a computer user at the Florida Supreme Court, the world now knows that Yuengling is not only America's oldest beer maker, but that it produces the "finest lager brewed in this country."

And without the intel of someone at the Florida Department of Transportation, Saddam Hussein would be many things but not a "dumb motherf-----."

These Wikipedia edits and hundreds more were made by people using state-owned computers - all of which have come to light by a new Web site that tracks changes to the publicly edited online encyclopedia, which is run by a foundation in St. Petersburg. Story here.

Comments

Constintine editing the dui is the best one. I can't wait until they do this for this blog...

I like the Palm Beach Post editing of Dick Cheney

no one will ever succeed in getting the IP's for this blog. Political speech is the most protected speech in the US. protecting the participants identities on this political blog provided by a newspaper is a slam dunk for the ACLU.

Not political speech using government computers!!!

Also, using a corporate computer without authorization is likely a fireable offense. Nonetheless the IT directors at companies can take care of that.

316-

your logic? Ok- for some reason, you can get the IPs from wikipedia- but not this blog? So- umm...wikipedia is not protected by the first amendment but the Buzz is?...Strange

The St Petersburg Times has an odd collection of edits of Wikipedia

The diffence between wikipedia and this blog is that the St. Pete times is unlikely to offer the IP addresses like wikipedia did. That means a court order to compel them to turn them over. I doubt that would ever happen.

Neither are protected against slander or libel, of which IPs can be subpoenaed.

That being said, anonymous communications have an important place in our political and social discourse. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the right to anonymous free speech is protected by the First Amendment. A much-cited 1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission reads:

"Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical, minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society."

The tradition of anonymous speech is older than the United States. Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers under the pseudonym "Publius," and "the Federal Farmer" spoke up in rebuttal. The US Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized rights to speak anonymously derived from the First Amendment.

Check out the Executive Office of the Governor (Tallahasse).

Seems they are in to the Go Go's and coffee beans!!

excellent post 3:37

Seems the Church of Scientology over in Clearwater has a secret Catholic on board - "Rococo and Roman Catholic Church"

Go to the search, enter Clearwater and check out "The City of Clearwater" - 535 EDITS!!! The list is astronomical.

No problem cutting back staff in Clearwater to meet spending reductions

[agatha]

The bigger issue is that Wikipedia's accuracy is relatively low and it cannot seriously be refrred to as a "reliable source." The unconv entional concept is a lure for many anti-establishment types but, let's face it, the reliability of information is sketchy.

[shpxjvg]

Last edit wins on wiki!

i just looked at Clearwater. What is going on?

Is anyone in charge?

[Paul D. Harvill]

This will absolutely prove that I don't use state-owned computers at work for political activity.

Well, only 113 edits made on Pinellas County Government computers. Though, they do edit issues important to the county - St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, Weedon Island Preserve and Mahaffey Theater. They changed the posts on WFLA (AM), Albert Whitted Airport and Palm Harbor. Also, the cities of St. Petersburg, Belleair Shore, Clearwater and Largo. Of course, they edited the entry for
Pinellas County too. Maybe the county will look good in comparison to others on this one?

it's Arleen