Computer users at Trinity College Dublin, the Central Bank, the Law Library and various Government bodies are among the most prolific contributors making changes to the collaborative online encyclopedia Wikipedia, according to a Californian tracking website.
WikiScanner, a website developed by a graduate researcher, allows the 34 million anonymous changes made to the encyclopedia since April 2002 to be traced back to each user's computer network.
The tool reveals that, on a number of occasions over the past two years, a user on AIB's computer network edited both the AIB and Bank of Ireland entries, although the changes appear to have largely been correcting errors of fact.
Users from the Central Bank have made hundreds of edits to entries about Irish poets, while also updating information on stamp duty and Special Saving Incentive Accounts (SSIAs).
Among Irish users, college networks are responsible for a large number of changes, with Trinity alone accounting for 6,000 edits.
Computers on the Government's virtual private network, which enables civil servants' internet communications to remain private, made 1,269 changes, while 967 edits were made from the Northern Ireland Civil Service network.
The tool, created by Virgil Griffith (24), attracted worldwide attention this week and his website has struggled to handle the traffic.
It has revealed that CIA staff edited the president of Iran's page, while a computer user in the Vatican has edited entries about Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.
WikiScanner is the latest controversy to hit Wikipedia's credibility. Volunteer editors and writers have contributed almost two million English-language articles to the online encyclopedia since its launch in 2001. In total, it is now home to 7.9 million articles in 253 languages.
Anyone who goes online is free to contribute to the encyclopedia. Users are encouraged to register a username and password if they contribute, which means that the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that oversees the site, at least has a valid e-mail address for users.
Errors and vandalism are generally removed by other users. The Gerry Adams entry is currently flagged because the neutrality of the entry is disputed. As a result, unregistered or newly registered users cannot edit it.
However, it is possible to make changes to non-disputed articles without registering. When such changes are made, the user's internet protocol (IP) address, which is assigned by their computer network, is recorded.
WikiScanner makes it easy to see which network those edits have come from.
Trawling through the Irish edits reveals that a large proportion of Irish users feel the need to fix erroneous data about their home town or village.
Sporting entries attract the most vandalism, while many potentially libelous accusations are made against public figures - politicians in particular.
From April to June last year, users of the State Valuation Office in Dublin made more than 500 changes to Wikipedia. These included adding plaudits about financier John Magnier such as the remark that he is "immaculately attired".
In September 2006, a user from the Law Library made numerous edits to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's biography, to point out that he had never formally attended University College Dublin.
In an explanatory note on his website, Mr Griffith says he developed the tool "to create minor public relations disasters for companies and organisations I dislike", and "to see what 'interesting organisations' (which I am neutral towards), are up to".