San Francisco, CA — A spokesperson for the embattled Pacific, Gas, and Electric company (PG&E) has confirmed that their Wikipedia page was briefly defaced with the vulgar word ‘cunt.’ The company has since corrected the attack and locked the page down.
“At approximately 11:32 pm last night, our information security response team received an anonymous email stating that a group called Pissed Off Citizens had assumed control,” said PG&E spokesperson Bethany Millbright. “Our team was able to remedy the issues. However, due to recent activity in countries like Chile, we’ve referred the incident to the Department of Homeland Security.”
Two weeks ago, from October 9 to October 12, approximately two million people were affected by a planned PG&E power outage. PG&E was criticized for the range and duration of the power outage, with many customers becoming outraged at what they say is an increasingly out-of-touch utility company.
The Enel Green Energy corporate building in Santiago, Chile, caught on fire on Friday, October 18, amid violent street protests. The mass protests, sparked by concerns over the cost of living, follow days of fare-dodging and other actions against rising transportation and energy costs. Many citizens claim corruption and cronyism are behind the hikes, a complaint not unlike many from PG&E customers.
“They’re still giving out performance bonuses to PG&E executives,” said Redding, CA resident Sue Pearl. “And they’re bankrupt. So then they have the gall to tell us it’s going to be like this for ten years, and our rates will go up. Look, they don’t care about human life. If they did, they would have never allowed this to happen in the first place. What they care about is not getting sued.”
Angry language like the above has led PG&E to increase security around its building and properties. According to Millbright, PG&E inspection teams now require two personnel for safety. The company hasn’t ruled out arming crews as well.
According to Wikipedia, the PG&E page has been temporarily locked, and that online graffiti like this is, unfortunately, an ordinary happening in the Internet age.
