# are there "extra controls" in place for the GW Bush and Barack Obama wikipedia pages?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-extra-controls-in-place-for-the-gw-bush-and-barack-obama-wikipedia-pages/724121>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 3, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-extra-controls-in-place-for-the-gw-bush-and-barack-obama-wikipedia-pages/724121 "2015-07-03T05:53:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-extra-controls-in-place-for-the-gw-bush-and-barack-obama-wikipedia-pages/724121/1 "2015-07-03T05:53:33Z")

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I’d like to think I get as much use out of Wikipedia at times as the next guy… “mundane and pointless” sometimes, other times enthralling and fascinating.

I’ve never “signed up”, “logged on”, or whatever it is that it takes to edit a page - nor have I ever had any interest in doing so. It’s my understanding that any Joe Schmuck can do so, however.

Just curious - if that’s really the case that any “Joe Schmuck” can edit a page to their liking, than how on earth does (or more precisely - who has the time to make sure that) one of their two pages doesn’t turn into a pissing contest among rivaling “factions”?

I am not really that political at all - and I hope this thread (given any responses) doesn’t devolve into that - but are there “safeguards” in place within a George W Bush or Barack Obama page, that aren’t there in a… oh, I don’t know… Debra Winger page?

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-extra-controls-in-place-for-the-gw-bush-and-barack-obama-wikipedia-pages/724121/2 "2015-07-03T06:11:22Z")

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There are ways that the administrators can place a temporary stop on edits or place a temporary limit on edits.

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-extra-controls-in-place-for-the-gw-bush-and-barack-obama-wikipedia-pages/724121/3 "2015-07-03T06:12:37Z")

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Both the Bush and Obama pages are permanently “semi-protected” so that to edit them, you have to be logged in to an account that’s at least four days old and has made at least ten other edits.