A few years back people really started giving me a hard time when I spoke of trolls and U.S. Intelligence operatives posting on AFT threads to mess up some of the content. Often if appeared that when a thread really got cooking and it was questioning either the government accuracy of information of the CDC we would get a troll.
Well - they exist - and recently a new repeal of a law gives them even more freedom to deliberately control media and websites and post false information as well as attack people they target. This is done partially through what is called Psyops..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_%28United_States%29" rel="nofollow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_%28United_States%29
http://www.rt.com/op-edge/406375-russia-us-social-media-propaganda/" rel="nofollow - https://www.rt.com/op-edge/406375-russia-us-social-media-propaganda/
But where was all the sanctimonious outrage in 2011 when it was
revealed the US military was developing software that would allow it to
secretly manipulate social media platforms using fake personas to “influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda,” as https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/mar/17/us-spy-operation-social-networks" rel="nofollow - reported by the Guardian at the time. “The
discovery that the US military is developing false online personalities
– known to users of social media as "sockpuppets" – could also
encourage other governments, private companies, and non-government
organizations to do the same,” The Guardian wrote. So, if
American journalists and politicians want to blame anyone for Russia
potentially utilizing social media sockpuppets to influence online
conversations, they need look no further than their own military, it
seems. The US military enlisted the services of a California
corporation to create the fake online personas. Under the contract, one
serviceman or woman would be able to control up to ten separate fake
identities worldwide — identities which would need to have their own
convincing backgrounds and histories. Of course, Centcom and the
US government explain all this away, promising that they only use
programs like these to counter violent and extremist enemy propaganda,
but is there anyone naive enough to believe that’s truly all these
sock-puppet accounts are used for? In 2014, the US military https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/08/darpa-social-networks-research-twitter-influence-studies" rel="nofollow - studied
and recorded the activities of people on Twitter and other social media
services to understand how influenced behavior happens on social
platforms. The study, which was funded by the US Department of Defense’s
military research department (Darpa) went so far as to message
unknowing participants to see how they responded. The aim was for the US
military to become better at detecting online propaganda campaigns —
and running its own. Surprise, surprise, the official description of the
study states its aim was simply to “counter misinformation or deception campaigns with truthful information.” We
know that is hogwash thanks to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden who
revealed information showing massive and wide-reaching government
efforts to use social media for propaganda and disinformation. The NSA
along with the British GCHQ run entire units dedicated to https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/" rel="nofollow - “discrediting”
their targets online through disinformation campaigns — which include
fake blog posts and emails and texts being sent to colleagues,
neighbors, and friends. In 2015, The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/31/british-army-facebook-warriors-77th-brigade" rel="nofollow - reported the British Army was creating a special force of “Facebook warriors” who are “skilled in psychological operations and social media,” to engage in “unconventional warfare” in the information age. It’s interesting too that we’re supposed to call Russians “trolls” and “bots” — but Western social media propagandists get to be “warriors.” The force would attempt to “control the narrative”
in favor of British foreign policy goals. The same Guardian report
noted that the Israeli Defense Forces had pioneered military engagement
with social media since its 2008 war in Gaza and was active on 30
platforms in six languages. Both the US and UK are aggressive in
their manipulation of people through online forums — both domestically
and abroad. This sparks little outrage and receives practically no
coverage in comparison with the coverage that reports of Russian
influence on Facebook and Twitter have received in recent weeks. This is an opportune moment for American journalists to remind people
just how much their own government tries to control their minds and
control narratives online. Instead, they’re busy obsessively parroting
US intelligence officials and whipping the public into a frenzy about
Russia. comment: I have been dealing with this since 2009 and the Obama Administration. Through the entire Pandemic volumes of false information was put out so people wouldn't panic. Although I put up videos from inside countries during the Ebola outbreak in Africa - it was considerably downplayed and cases in the U.S. almost impossible to find.
This will continue - and be assured Big Brother and now Big Sister are ever with us as they continue to gather every email, every phone call and store it and review it at data central in Utah.
There is no privacy on the Internet and Trolls are not simply the daydream of the Tinhats - they live and breathe and are well funded and have several working task forces to control what you read and think. By the way, once upon a time when I was "helping America" I ... been there done that. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Medclinician SockPuppet PsychoBlender : Do you know what Medclinician posted today about the fact that Swine Flu mutated in Australia and may sweep America and start the next Pandemic? SockPuppetRollYourOwn: No, but I can post a dozen posts of total nonsense on the thread and trash it bad.
SockPupptet PsychoBlender: Go for it!
------------- "not if but when" the original Medclinician
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