DND investigating edits to Rehtaeh Parsons’ Wikipedia page

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OTTWA (NEWS1130) – The Department of National Defence is looking into significant edits to Rehtaeh Parsons’ Wikipedia page, made from DND computers last week.

Quotes were apparently tweaked, mentions of the alleged sexual assault were removed and the edits suggested Parsons’ death was not a suicide.

Someone using a DND computer had put the word “attempt” after every mention of suicide on the page.

That was quickly corrected by another Wikipedia user, but then was edited again to include the word “attempt” a few days later.

The Ottawa Citizen reports the person tweaking the page left a comment to another Wikipedia user saying “Why not put some facts in your web page? Seems rather one-sided.”

According to the Citizen, the edits date back to Jan. 26 and 29 and also include completely changing Parsons’ father’s quote about his daughter’s rape from “That is not called consensual sex. That is called rape,” to “That is called consensual sex.”

Another tweak claimed the hacking group “Anonymous” was blaming Parsons’ death on  “Everyone except for her parents.”

A DND spokesman says they are investigating the matter to see whether an infraction has occurred.

He said possible punishment could include termination or release from the military.

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