Russia edited Wikipedia to blame Ukraine for MH17 crash, Twitter bot reveals

How do you control what people read and understand about certain things? The simple answer, even in this day and age of ultra-connected devices, is make sure to edit the Wikipedia page says what you want it to say. But thanks to the power of the Web and Internet standards, even such under-the-table edits can be caught.   That’s exactly what has happened to the Wikipedia article on the MH17 airline crash, which occurred earlier this week. According to a report in The Telegraph, a broadcasting company associated with the Russian government has been caught trying to amend the entry for the tragedy on the online encyclopaedia.  

The report talks about Twitter bot RuGovEdits that monitors edits made to Wikipedia from Russian government IP addresses. The account tweeted about someone within the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) changing the Russian language version of a page listing flight accidents. A translated version of the tweet says: “Wikipedia article List of aircraft accidents in civil aviation has been edited by RTR”. RTR is another name for the VGTRK.   The amended entry read, “The plane [flight MH17] was shot down by Ukrainian soldiers”, while the earlier entry said the plane was shot down “by terrorists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic with Buk system missiles, which the terrorists received from the Russian Federation.”   VGTRK is known to be the Russian government’s mouthpiece, and the edit is in line with Russia’s official stance on the tragedy, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that it was Ukrainian soldiers who downed the plane.   Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 crashed in Ukraine on Thursday, on the border with Russia, with 298 people on board, none of whom survived. The plane is said to have been shot down by pro-Russia Ukraine separatists. “This plane was brought down by Russian backed terrorists. This is not the first time a plane has been shot down. These separatists have received heavy flow of weapons from Russia. Ukrainian separatists are heavily armed and trained because of Russian support.” US President Barack Obama said in the aftermath.   We will know more about exactly what transpired in the days to come as more investigative agencies get access to the crash site, which is in rebel territory. **See our live blog for the latest developments.**