US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda

[nearing]

The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage "fake people" on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues.

The contract calls for the development of "Persona Management Software" which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.

Click here to view the government contract (PDF) (http://www.seankerrigan.com/docs/PersonaManagementSoftware.pdf)

According to the contract, the software would "protect the identity of government agencies" by employing a number of false signals to convince users that the poster is in fact a real person. A single user could manage unique background information and status updates for up to 10 fake people from a single computer.

[snip]

Barr also predicted a steady rise in clandestine or secret government operations to stem the flow of sensitive information. "I would say there is going to be a resurgence of black ops in the coming year as decision makers settle with our inadequacies... Critical infrastructure, finance, defense industrial base, and government have rivers of unauthorized communications flowing from them and there are no real efforts to stop it."

________________________________________

Could this be happening here on Avalon?

[Ahkenaten]

they have been doing this in online polls in the mainstream media for a long time now as well as penetrating all public blogs where any controversial political/foreign policy issue is being debated.

[nearing]

I believe it!

I can smell the fake personas. I have smelled it here and on other 'forums'. But I usually do not let on, maybe I should but I would rather give them as much rope as possible to hang themselves.

Which, thankfully, they always do eventually.:nod:

[write4change]

I know there was a bunch of them on dailykos. What you notice is that they will take both sides of anythng that makes trouble. Not in the same thread but once you start paying attention. They are against the flavor of the day even if they were for a few days ago but expressed slightly differently.

The also stick to straw dog arguments and you cannot get them to debate anything on facts. They ikeep everything personal and way over the top.

I hope more people become aware of this.

[Flash]

I had found some interventions on this forum strange sometimes, a bit like you describe here, and I had wondered if the 13 Heather were not this, government interventions.

[Wiley]

Hell This isn't something new, I use a software like this for internet marketing not political purposes.

[Ahkenaten]

Another of their favorite tricks is to work in teams appearing to corroborate/support one another in WAVES to build one opinion, point of view, or another. It is especially obvious when divisive tactics or attacks are used. When you examine the overall effect you see that it not only is deliberate and orchestrated, but also could possibly also be mechanical/computerized. Take the example, hypothetically of course, of Ben aka Mr. Can Sue Me ---- he consistently misspells and misspeaks in certain ways that SEEM to be idiosyncratic and individualistic. BUT he COULD be a personae. Similarly others one encounters here and elsewhere. One poster on this Forum has said that he used software to move from one linguistic pattern to another, thereby mimicking one type of person's speech and then, as I understood him to say, translating the same message into the distinguishing characteristics of another personality altogether.

Maybe we are interacting with a bunch of fake people here? Sure takes the whole idea of "virtual community" to a new level doesn't it?

Maybe we should go back to flesh and blood communities. At least the robots haven't been perfected enough yet to fake us out...............or have they?

They DO have robotic hummingbirds and insects now.

[bitworm]

Hell This isn't something new, I use a software like this for internet marketing not political purposes.
There are various angles to do what was mentioned here^^

One of the ways is called linkbaiting, and works much the same way as this is being described. The easiest targets are sites where you know the majority follow a particular point of view. Drop a few posts akin to blasphemy, and wait for the melee to begin. If you want the activity to increase on an exponential scale and the actual activity is short of that, you manufacture a response.

I'm really not talking about anything new here; most of you either have known this or at least suspect it. But the ends are usually not as nefarious as one might imagine. It's a bait and switch routine- once a discussion has thousands of participants, the perpetrators will go back and strategically insert keywords/phrases and hyperlinks to sites of their choosing. The objective is to get the sites in the links to show up high in search results for probably something completely unrelated to the topic.

There are different levels to this type of game, and I'm not saying there are never other ulterior motives, but at this level it is motivated purely by profit.



Maybe we are interacting with a bunch of fake people here? Sure takes the whole idea of "virtual community" to a new level doesn't it?

Maybe we should go back to flesh and blood communities. At least the robots haven't been perfected enough yet to fake us out...............or have they?


For the most part, there are still ways to trip up forum bots. They all have a trigger; the simple ones, you can usually force them to make posts by inserting certain keywords in your posts. Unfortunately, the more sophisticated ones, you almost need a software of your own to analyze their activity.

[Chicodoodoo]

Personally, I find this astounding. Deception is the sociopath's foundation, and now they are so confident that they don't even bother to keep their deception secret. This is the next level of mind control. It is the equivalent of stuffing the ballot boxes. It is a sign that to sociopaths, it's "game over" and they have won. And they have us so convinced that we have lost (because it's been going on all along, we are proud to announce) that not a single one of us will stand up and oppose them.

My first reaction was to send an email to Officer Beasley (02@macdill.af.mil) and ask why he is not upholding his solemn oath to the Constitution, why he would sell out his own species, and why he wants a world of deception for his children to live in. I'm still thinking about it. Somebody stop me. Or maybe everybody should join me.

[HURRITT ENYETO]

Could this be happening here on Avalon?

Yep


The also stick to straw dog arguments and you cannot get them to debate anything on facts. They ikeep everything personal and way over the top.

Sounds familiar..... :)


One poster on this Forum has said that he used software to move from one linguistic pattern to another, thereby mimicking one type of person's speech and then, as I understood him to say, translating the same message into the distinguishing characteristics of another personality altogether

I found that comment very interesting too.

[Ahkenaten]

I had found some interventions on this forum strange sometimes, a bit like you describe here, and I had wondered if the 13 Heather were not this, government interventions.

You mean like poster Darla Ken Jensen Pierce for example?

¤=[Post Update]=¤



Could this be happening here on Avalon?

Yep


The also stick to straw dog arguments and you cannot get them to debate anything on facts. They ikeep everything personal and way over the top.

Sounds familiar..... :)


One poster on this Forum has said that he used software to move from one linguistic pattern to another, thereby mimicking one type of person's speech and then, as I understood him to say, translating the same message into the distinguishing characteristics of another personality altogether

I found that comment very interesting too.

Hurrit - we must all work together to ferret out the pranksters that have invaded this Forum. They are here, some are computer sock puppets, it is orchestrated, and "they" are working together.

[Ahkenaten]

Personally, I find this astounding. Deception is the sociopath's foundation, and now they are so confident that they don't even bother to keep their deception secret. This is the next level of mind control. It is the equivalent of stuffing the ballot boxes. It is a sign that to sociopaths, it's "game over" and they have won. And they have us so convinced that we have lost (because it's been going on all along, we are proud to announce) that not a single one of us will stand up and oppose them.

My first reaction was to send an email to Officer Beasley (02@macdill.af.mil) and ask why he is not upholding his solemn oath to the Constitution, why he would sell out his own species, and why he wants a world of deception for his children to live in. I'm still thinking about it. Somebody stop me. Or maybe everybody should join me.

Chicodoodoo that would only put you on the radar of our friendly young sociopathic public employees working at places like Ft. Huachua, AZ - it happened to me and I was harassed and threatened by them after I tracked back some of the crap I got to the stupid guys...........don't even bother interacting with them and giving them oxygen. We just must RECOGNIZE THEM - they are working in this Forum too, and the MODS MUST BE AWARE OF THIS - they unfortunately are here, too.

[Ahkenaten]

Hell This isn't something new, I use a software like this for internet marketing not political purposes.
There are various angles to do what was mentioned here^^

One of the ways is called linkbaiting, and works much the same way as this is being described. The easiest targets are sites where you know the majority follow a particular point of view. Drop a few posts akin to blasphemy, and wait for the melee to begin. If you want the activity to increase on an exponential scale and the actual activity is short of that, you manufacture a response.

I'm really not talking about anything new here; most of you either have known this or at least suspect it. But the ends are usually not as nefarious as one might imagine. It's a bait and switch routine- once a discussion has thousands of participants, the perpetrators will go back and strategically insert keywords/phrases and hyperlinks to sites of their choosing. The objective is to get the sites in the links to show up high in search results for probably something completely unrelated to the topic.

There are different levels to this type of game, and I'm not saying there are never other ulterior motives, but at this level it is motivated purely by profit.



Maybe we are interacting with a bunch of fake people here? Sure takes the whole idea of "virtual community" to a new level doesn't it?

Maybe we should go back to flesh and blood communities. At least the robots haven't been perfected enough yet to fake us out...............or have they?


For the most part, there are still ways to trip up forum bots. They all have a trigger; the simple ones, you can usually force them to make posts by inserting certain keywords in your posts. Unfortunately, the more sophisticated ones, you almost need a software of your own to analyze their activity.

But I would imagine depending upon motive, that these systems could be used for political purposes to disrupt discussions and posters trending in unwanted directions, as well as to flush out certain people by using certain words to elicit responses from THEM, right? The possibilities are mind-boggling. Seems the silicon chips are winning.

[Rog]

Heh, what's more dangerous, Avalon being infiltrated by these guys or us just thinking that? I'm sure smart sociopaths paid good money for these techniques and technology. So how do we go about having the knowledge and werewithal to tackle this without unraveling through paranoia? It'd be convenient to think we can spot these guys but that could too easily lead to unjustified finger-pointing or worse yet unspoken suspicions that build in the back of our minds.

Talk about raising the bar. :dizzy:

[Ahkenaten]

Heh, what's more dangerous, Avalon being infiltrated by these guys or us just thinking that? I'm sure smart sociopaths paid good money for these techniques and technology. So how do we go about having the knowledge and werewithal to tackle this without unraveling through paranoia? It'd be convenient to think we can spot these guys but that could too easily lead to unjustified finger-pointing or worse yet unspoken suspicions that build in the back of our minds.

Talk about raising the bar. :dizzy:

You are correct Rog. It is the classical Mind F**K. We must fight fire with fire if there is to be any fight at all, i.e. use technology to ferret out the poseurs, fakes, duplicate personalities, etc. Actually the MODS and Bill should take this on --- it is Bill's website, the MODS are the gatekeepers and "staff" - we are just members and guests, though it would seem that the genuine flesh and blood humans amongst us with good heart and character should care very much about the integrity and quality of any place where they spend their time and intellectual capital!

[Rainbow44]

Looking at the "fake" people issue, I think that there are people who do this anyways. If anyone has a business based on the internet than it's inevitable these "fake" people will show themselves in one form or another. I mean even real people can make up names etc. to get information from anyone. It's just another aspect of living in todays day and age.

I think if we get to know each other, and read inbetween the lines, we can all figure out who is coming from the heart and who is not.

People hide behind their computers and say and state things they would never say to a person's face so the computer age has created what I call the computer trolls. Stating anything that affects a large group of people just for the hell of it is something we deal with everyday especially with mainstream media. It's hard to know what the truth is sometimes.

But we know what they are planning and if we are vigilante than we can stand together to make sure this forum remains open, honest with a mix of ideologies that spice things up and keeps us all coming back for more.

Blessings,

Rainbow

[str8thinker]

One trick to pick fakes that has worked for me is to ask them a logical question. If they are fake, they will not provide a direct answer (indicating that they acknowledge your question and are replying to it) but counter it by talking about something else entirely without acknowledging you.

If you are certain that that persona is a fake, you can continue the thread without acknowledging its last post (but make sure you do not try that on a living breathing Avalonian). Alternatively your reply can be a big Ignore! sign. :)

The intention is, as Ahkenaten put it, to deprive them of oxygen.

[theguardian]

Hell This isn't something new, I use a software like this for internet marketing not political purposes.

+1 Me Too, Been years that kind of software is available

[TimelessDimensions]

Is there a difference between a 'fake' brainwashed person and a real brainwashed person?

My intuition is my firewall.

[Flash]

Another of their favorite tricks is to work in teams appearing to corroborate/support one another in WAVES to build one opinion, point of view, or another. It is especially obvious when divisive tactics or attacks are used. When you examine the overall effect you see that it not only is deliberate and orchestrated, but also could possibly also be mechanical/computerized. Take the example, hypothetically of course, of Ben aka Mr. Can Sue Me ---- he consistently misspells and misspeaks in certain ways that SEEM to be idiosyncratic and individualistic. BUT he COULD be a personae. Similarly others one encounters here and elsewhere. One poster on this Forum has said that he used software to move from one linguistic pattern to another, thereby mimicking one type of person's speech and then, as I understood him to say, translating the same message into the distinguishing characteristics of another personality altogether.

Maybe we are interacting with a bunch of fake people here? Sure takes the whole idea of "virtual community" to a new level doesn't it?

Maybe we should go back to flesh and blood communities. At least the robots haven't been perfected enough yet to fake us out...............or have they?

They DO have robotic hummingbirds and insects now.

I'll tell you something: may be they flood the site with Heather and Charles material. I have seen good posts like this one not even making it in the red category, not being read. The taste to work in team comes to me, but not to destroy the site, but avoid having it destroyed. Science has taken quite a hike for the last month and half, as well as credible wistleblowing finds like this one in this thread.

As for the robots not being perfected enough to fake us, may be not, but now the nano robots are perfected enough to spy on all of us, even have us ingest them and follow our tracks, all this unknowingly. See my smart dust thread. ROBOTIC DUST in Chemtrails.

[Cottage Rose]

I had found some interventions on this forum strange sometimes, a bit like you describe here, and I had wondered if the 13 Heather were not this, government interventions.

You mean like poster Darla Ken Jensen Pierce for example?



Hi Ahkenaten:

I barely dipped a toe into the Heather threads.

Last night I pondered a few DKJP posts elsewhere and wondered about the energy I was picking up. I do not wish to veer off topic, but could you provide me with historical data?

Thanks,
Cottage Rose

[str8thinker]

Here's another link to this Persona Management Software:
Why Is the Military Creating an Army of Fake People on the Internet? (]http://uk.gawker.com/5764551/why-is-the-military-creating-an-army-of-fake-people-on-the-internet)

Another widely used term for someone who manages two or more different personalities (logins) on a forum: Sock Puppet. They often (but not always) have the same IP address (or similar ones in the same IP block). Primitive, but easy for mods to spot.

[Ahkenaten]

Yeah this is an important and very timely thread IMO. The whole idea of oxygen deprivation is also a key element (and I mean that on a number of levels!) although silicon-based life forms may exist in a hydrogen-rich environment. EEEK! Maybe that is the point (sorry for going off topic here) maybe, just maybe the silicon forms are trying to hyjack us and that is why TPTB, as proxies for silicon-based life forms, are so completely hostile and antagonistic to humans, other living beings, the environment and the earth! They want the earth, its energetics and its minerals - the rest of it is totally meaningless and without value to THEM. I am only half-joking.