Wikipedia Page Edited To Describe Sabah As Sultanate’s
(The Star) – Wikipedia was not spared from the cyber attacks that have sprung up following the standoff in Sabah.
Details about “Sabah” was edited and the state was described as being “part of the Sultanate of Sulu”.
Results from a Google search on the word “Sabah” at press time yesterday revealed a preview to the Wikipedia page which states:
“Sabah is illegitimately considered one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is said to be its easternmost state but in fact, it is part of the Sultanate of Sulu. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo.”
However, the full Wikipedia page on Sabah described the state as “one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state”.
A Google spokesperson said the preview, or Knowledge Panel results, came from its Knowledge Graph, which is an index of hundreds of millions of real-world entities including open sources like Wikipedia.
“When a user searches for a query, our algorithm takes information from the Knowledge Graph and presents it in the panel.
“We want to make sure the information we provide is as accurate as possible, so we’ve included a link so you can tell us when we may have an inaccuracy in our information,” the spokesperson said.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said his department had been alerted.
“I have instructed my Federal CyberSecurity and Multimedia Investigation Division to investigate,” he said.
The alteration on Wikipedia follows the cyber attacks that have raged between Malaysian and Filipino hackers over the weekend, mirroring the Lahad Datu standoff in Sabah.
Apparently, the first online attacks were made by Malaysians, hours after a skirmish erupted between the police and Sulu gunmen on March 1.
