US Military Commisions Software For Manipulating Social Media

Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media

  The Guardian UK said:

The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.

 

A Californian corporation has been awarded a contract with United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, to develop what is described as an "online persona management service" that will allow one US serviceman or woman to control up to 10 separate identities based all over the world.

 

The project has been likened by web experts to China's attempts to control and restrict free speech on the internet. Critics are likely to complain that it will allow the US military to create a false consensus in online conversations, crowd out unwelcome opinions and smother commentaries or reports that do not correspond with its own objectives.

 

The discovery that the US military is developing false online personalities – known to users of social media as "sock puppets" – could also encourage other governments, private companies and non-government organisations to do the same.

this may explain the behaviour of some wattum members lol

how can the govnerment make dupes since its banned to make dupes? there breaking there own laws!!!

this could be a good thing. we need to be broken in.

Online communities have been dealing with this kind of thing for ages, with Wikipedia being just one example. I guess the worry is the government will start doing it a lot more efficiently. I'm not really that sure what their technical definition is. But it must be perverting the actions of online groups for their own ends, if you're looking at it from a government's perspective. Preventing dissidence and providing support for various policies. Like MI5 were trying to gain public support for the two invasions years ago. It would be used for similar ends, I guess. Seems like we need better systems that wikipedia and reddit--they're fairly easy to manipulate at the moment. Just get loads of people to start upvoting/downvoting stuff, and get people into various trusted editorial roles.

  On 3/19/2011 at 3:03 AM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

this could be a good thing. we need to be broken in.

we'd make their dupe bots cry all the way home to the mommy server.

---

It's a cost cutting measure, they already use indians to do the same online mass opinion manipulation.

This raises serious questions about the potential for abuse, and how can one could come to trust an entity over the internet.

What do you think is a good counter, if any? All I can come up with is good old-fashioned human contact, something which has diminished with the development of social networking.

I'm beginning to dislike interconnected digital systems more and more for the amount of power that individuals are capable of wielding. Certainly, inventions like the internet are a two-way road that can be employed in positive ways that were unthinkable until recently, but I wonder what level of interconnectedness and, consequently, vulnerability will society accept as these technologies develop?

woah. as a very regular wiki editor, i've seen the sort of crazy shit that sockpuppetry can do when properly co-ordinated. this is mental. that being said i'm very doubtful if the software can pass the turing test when it comes to anyone halfway savvy.

  On 3/19/2011 at 4:05 AM, kaini said:

woah. as a very regular wiki editor, i've seen the sort of crazy shit that sockpuppetry can do when properly co-ordinated. this is mental. that being said i'm very doubtful if the software can pass the turing test when it comes to anyone halfway savvy.

yeah i've heard it can be bad in wikiland. what kind of shit do they tend to target and what do they do?

  On 3/19/2011 at 4:12 AM, ezkerraldean said:

  On 3/19/2011 at 4:05 AM, kaini said:

woah. as a very regular wiki editor, i've seen the sort of crazy shit that sockpuppetry can do when properly co-ordinated. this is mental. that being said i'm very doubtful if the software can pass the turing test when it comes to anyone halfway savvy.

yeah i've heard it can be bad in wikiland. what kind of shit do they tend to target and what do they do?

http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Grawp

basically the best vandal ever

http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Willy_on_wheels

and the second-best vandal ever

anyway

Well this is what they will use to Attack people on the Web to pass new Security Measures on the Web much like when they attacked The World Trade Centers and got Home Land Security Act and got a guy to put a bomb up his ass so they could pass the Scanners at airports.

Be ready to have to take your shoes off and be groped by an officers near by your house so you can login to facebook.

is troon the beta version of the software?!?

I'm sorry, but your avatar is annoying.

  On 3/19/2011 at 10:03 AM, disparaissant said:

is troon the beta version of the software?!?

if Planet Mu, Hyperdub and some other labels have bought this software from the military already, it is a possibility

  On 3/19/2011 at 11:26 PM, Awepittance said:

  On 3/19/2011 at 10:03 AM, disparaissant said:

is troon the beta version of the software?!?

 

if Planet Mu, Hyperdub and some other labels have bought this software from the military already, it is a possibility

  On 3/19/2011 at 11:06 PM, delet... said:

I'm sorry, but your avatar is annoying.

misogyny

  On 3/20/2011 at 7:56 AM, Salvatorin said:

  On 3/19/2011 at 11:06 PM, delet... said:

I'm sorry, but your avatar is annoying.

misogyny

just messin btw

  On 3/20/2011 at 8:19 AM, Salvatorin said:

  On 3/20/2011 at 7:56 AM, Salvatorin said:

  On 3/19/2011 at 11:06 PM, delet... said:

I'm sorry, but your avatar is annoying.

misogyny

just messin btw

anyone who doesn't like kate bush HATES ALL WOMEN

or something

Solution: Don't use Facebook or Twitter

wayn?

here it is

http://www.wayn.com/waynsplash.html

fresh from darpa

id be amazed if they could translate all the cat poop and diarrhea humor into measurable political action

the internet's really good at selling people things. they aren't going to fuck with it

  On 3/20/2011 at 6:27 PM, autopilot said:

Solution: Don't use Facebook or Twitter

That's a pretty short-sighted bandage. What do you propose once this problem spreads to other places?

subliminal Pentagon messages in BOC songs

In an internet war, won't /b/ automatically win? I mean, the gov'ment will probably pay for companies to develop complex strategies. But a boat load of organised adolescent with a lust for being pricks. Sounds like a no-brainer.

/b/ aren't organised