Some politically-motivated users of the publicly-edited online encyclopedia WikiPedia are rewriting political biographies of politicians to make friends look good and foes look bad.

According to a recent AP article –

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that can be altered by anyone with a computer, has proved remarkably useful for pulling political dirty tricks.

Political operatives are covertly rewriting _ or defacing _ candidates’ biographical entries to make the boss look good or the opponent look ridiculous.

As a result, political campaigns are monitoring the Web site more closely than ever this election year.

Revisions made by Capitol Hill staffers became so frequent and disruptive earlier this year that Wikipedia temporarily blocked access to the site from some congressional Internet addresses. The pranks included bumping up the age of the Senate’s oldest member, West Virginia’s Robert Byrd, from 88 to 180, and giving crude names to other lawmakers.

You can read the entire article @ Wikipedia Ripe for Political Dirty Tricks.