US government wages sock puppet war against its own citizens

This is a very troubling and stinging expose by Channel 4 WWL in New Orleans detailing the results of their special investigation into allegations that Army Core of Engineer Employees have been using sock puppet Internet Personas to systematically attack American Citizens critical of the Army Core of Engineering in relation to Hurricane Katrina and the failed levies there.




Recently here on ATS I authored a thread about the controversial HB Gary Software made for the Department of Defense that manufactures Internet Personas for propaganda use by creating fake bios, updating the persona's arguments by automated RSS Feeds, with the ability to both multiple stars and thumbs (depending on the site), by creating multiple IP Addresses, that allows one user to game Message Board and Blog Sites to run and manage multiple accounts (personas) from a single virtual machine or thumb drive.

I questioned whether this software was already being used in the Middle East and was being used to drive unrest in the Muslim World.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Now it appears that the Army Core of Engineers at the very least is using either this same software or something very much like it to attack Americans critical of it, right here in America.

Americans who have legitimate and honest concerns about the quality of their government and it's methods of operation.

Is the US Government using the Internet to create the perception of false majorities to use peer pressure to undermine the very cornerstones of democracy?

The evidence continues to mount that they not only are, but doing so both domestically and internationally.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler



Sounds like some of the stuff we see around here.


I find it best to simply ignore the trolls.

As far as the investigation goes, I'm going to assume nowhere so long as the investigation is internal. That's a major problem with our system here in the US. It's as if they delegate the criminal to do their own "investigative" work.

COR RUP TION

Ntrepid is a persona software creator the military is using. Heres there website.
www.ntrepidcorp.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

Operation Earnest VoiceIn March 2011 The Guardian newspaper reported that Ntrepid had won a $2.76 million contract for "online persona management" (commonly known as "sockpuppetry") operations from the U.S. military.[1] The contract is for the creation of 10 "fake online personas to influence net conversations and spread US propaganda."[1] The technology would not be used in the U.S, or on sites owned by U.S. corporations such as Facebook and Twitter.[3] Rather, it would be used exclusively outside the U.S. on sites owned by non-U.S. corporations, in order to counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda.[3]

Ntrepid will supply software, named "MetalGear",[4] that will enable one operator to create and control multiple personas from one computer, "without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries".[2] The software sought would allow a user to have 10 personas.[5] Each persona would have a background, history, supporting details, and cyber presence that is consistent from a technical, cultural, and geographic standpoint.[5][3] The user would be able to use his different online personas from the same PC, and make them appear to be coming from almost anywhere in the world, without his true location being determined even by a sophisticated enemy.[5][3] The service envisioned would also communicate to the user real-time local information, so that he could appear to be socially aware as he would be if he were located in the relevant geographic location.[5]

The project is overseen by U.S. Central Command (Centcom), whose spokesman Commander Bill Speaks stated that the operation would be carried out in languages other than English, particularly Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu.[1][6] He stated that, "The technology supports classified blogging activities on foreign-language websites to enable Centcom to counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda outside the U.S."[6]

The project will probably be based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, and will be within the remit of Operation Earnest Voice.[1]

Operation Earnest Voice is the operation ran by DOD and USAID. Using Metal Gear the name of the software.

www.wired.com...

Responding to jihadists’ move into social networking, U.S. Central Command is setting up cyber-stings, masking its soldiers’ IP addresses and creating deceptive online profiles in the hope of luring out the next Irhabi 007. It’s using anonymity software purchased commercially from a California-based security firm, Ntrepid, to disguise its new online activity. Never mind Googling a couple of Senators. This is an information operation.

Shaun Waterman of the Washington Times reports that Central Command paid $2.7 million for software that allows users “to exercise a number of different online persons from the same workstation and without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries.” Raw Story’s Stephen C. Webster reports that the actual CENTCOM activity is “classified,” as spokesman Bill Speaks told Webster, but an Air Force contract specified that the command wants to create “detailed, fictionalized backgrounds, to make them believable to outside observers.”

reply to post by JBA2848


Excellent additional background and link.

Thanks for posting that.

As we can begin to more fully see the secret is out regarding these tactics not just here but abroad as evidenced by the Gaurdian article.

It's a shame that besides writing and calling befuddled Sentators and Congress people to complain that there really is no channel for Americans to address this kind of runaway activity by elements of the Defense Department against American citizens.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


My friend this is been happening for years, is just that many people wants to keep thinking that they are free of expressing their concerns.

That is why when I get into and issue that I know is easily backed with data, I just ignore the propaganda pushed by some (what looks like opposing members).



The problem in the US is that littler by littler we have been geared throughout years of governemnt education to be nothing but easily manipulate puppets.

Only those that dare to join conspiracy boards are the ones looking for the truth and also easy targets.

I have no doubt this is happening, and not just with the Army Corps of Engineers. People who lack that voice that tells us what's right and wrong are going to take advantage of what the Internet has to offer. And I don't mean the positive aspects of the Internet. I mean the spread of disinformation.

You can bet there are thousands of Internet personalities whose sole purpose is to manipulate the thoughts of the public at large to agree or disagree with a certain agenda. Sept 11 comes to mind...

Thank you, Proto, for this great exposé.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


I know a lot of members here on ATS being much better informed on par than most members of the general public sometimes have a tendency to take these revelations in a rather lackadaisical and or somewhat jaded way, but I feel there is a certain danger in that as we watch one of the corner stones of democracy, free speech come under attack by a government increasingly desperate to justify and validate troubling policies and to excuse glaring failures.

I don’t know if there is a way to get congress serious about trying to reign in this kind of covert activity against Americans but I think it wise to keep highlighting these transgressions from time to time, as the frequency and ways that the Government is using the Internet to this end really is increasing.

Thanks for posting my friend and having a genuine concern that many share.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I find this that could be used to back up the claim of water managment being connected to this software.

www.linkedin.com...

Dennis Rich's Experience
Sr. Systems Engineer Ntrepid Corporation
Privately Held; Defense & Space industry

December 2010 – Present (5 months)

Sr. Product Systems Engineer Anonymizer, Inc.
Privately Held; Computer & Network Security industry

December 2010 – December 2010 (1 month)

Sr. System Administrator (Team Lead/Systems Architect/Sr. Project Manager) Eastern Municipal Water District
Government Agency; Utilities industry

June 2002 – December 2010 (8 years 7 months)

Lead systems administration, help desk and operations team, assigning work to team members to manage project and operational needs along with team development. Mentor, evaluate performance and assign work for staff development. Architect server, storage, backup, virtualization, VOIP and enterprise application systems based on projected needs for next three to five years in a PCI DSS environment. Manage 200+ servers in heterogeneous physical and virtual server environment. Manage Solaris, Windows, VMware, Redhat Enterprise Linux, NAS, SAN, VPN, MS SQL Server, Cisco networking and CISCO VOIP environment. Manage multifunctional enterprise and regulatory technology projects from inception through implementation. Create technology solutions to address business process needs, presenting design, business impact analysis, cost benefits analysis and proposals to senior executive management. Manage vendor relationships for solution design and support options analyzing whether to provide services in-house or outsource. Manage workgroup budgeting along with working with other departments identify needs for upcoming fiscal year. Programming for systems integration, server maintenance, availability monitoring and task automation.

So this guy goes from water management straight to the top of a secret government propaganda operation?

In May 2008, Anonymizer was bought by Abraxas Corporation. Abraxas Corporation is a leading provider of risk mitigation technologies for the U.S national security community. .
en.wikipedia.org...(company)

Its not just software. Ever since Ruby Ridge the "COVERNMENT" has been developing and orchestrating scenario after scenario to pull the constitution and our freedoms out from underneath us....and are doing one hell of a job i might add

Tons of grants and other funding are specifically going to university think tanks throughout the globe creating sims and programming to ensure that "We" the world, can never get a moments peace, that the propaganda machine must flood every orifice of our existence so that we MUST turn to them and acquiesce.

The bastards have a war going on at every front, they are continuously threatening us at our very core and using every outlet to do it. there shall be no rock unturned to achieve their ultimate goal.
"SINGULAR WORLD AUTHORITY"

They let you talk and pretend you're making a change and a difference with your nominees, your voting, freedom of speech,and even some gun rights. its all irrelevant in the larger picture because they already have all the bases covered with their chemtrail expertise and their advanced global satellite, drone, intelligence networks...and the biggie of all biggies...UNLIMITED POWER.

For every move you think you could make they've already got you countered and outgunned. the only thing they haven't said is....CHECKMATE...and only because they are twisted and sick bastards that desire to see total chaos before they tighten the noose till suffocation.

Our freedom of speech without action is worthless and they know it. its when we quit speaking and take action is when and only when anything will come to a head and change.

You got to break a few eggs to make an omelet and if you break the chicken#s of their bad habits you get a more delicious rewarding egg.

Quit Whining, Quit Talking..There's eggs to be broken and chicken#s need plucken

reply to post by anumohi


I do very much agree American Citizens are being targeted on several fronts by the Government and the Corporations that are closely aligned with Government.

With agendas targeting us economically, politically, and personal freedoms, it's as if sometime in the last few decades the Government and the Corporations began to regard the average American as a threat to their continued existence or at least their desire to exist on their terms to their own ends.

In a way this is fraud, little different than me calling up a stranger and claiming to be Donald Trump to offer stock or investment advice.

How long will Americans tolerate what is becoming an increasingly fraudelent government before they self discover some effective mechanism to start realing it in?

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Seems there is a umbrella corporation that seems to own or operate most of these companies such as Ntrepid.

Cubic Corporation I think I might dig on them later.
www.cubic.com...

Originally posted by JBA2848
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Seems there is a umbrella corporation that seems to own or operate most of these companies such as Ntrepid.

Cubic Corporation I think I might dig on them later.
www.cubic.com...

It's funny how most of these corporations real ownership gets lost in a spider web of parent corporations and subsidiaries making it almost impossible to ascertain who exactly is responsible at the top of the food chain.

Corporate deniability teamed with Government plausible deniability makes it nigh on impossible for Americans to boycott these corporations and at least do something to slow their growth and profit or otherwise not reward them for manufacturing these kind of products that they most certainly know are going to be used in unconstitutional and fraudelent ways against the citizenry.

Some excellent research.

Thanks for the extra effort.

Its almost as though they expect to outlast justice...
I find that troubling
because the minions doing all the execution of this agenda
are even more expendable then the peeps they are executing on....

now thats some dumbing down

reply to post by Danbones


I think a lot of people imagine if it's working for the US Government or a company with a 'defense' contract that it's all good, and for the good of truth, justice and the American way and lie to themselves about the lack of morality, disclosure, etc. as being an 'honest' days work for an honest days pay.

Rule number one in an assassination though is to kill the assassin.

Something more Americans with moral dilemas should consider.

Thanks for the heads up Proto. It's almost gotten to the point to where life feels like how Lawrence Fishburn put it in the move 'the matrix'... "you can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes..."

Agent Smith is so obsessed with maintaining the matrix, he even informs us that they know that we help our landlord take out the garbage.

I wonder if they know about the 10 1 1/2" blackiron, 12' long threaded pipes and 20 blackiron end caps being purchased every week now for almost a year....

reply to post by Heyyo_yoyo


Thanks for posting my friend, one thing is for sure they sure seem to want to know about everything.

Thanks to the 'free' internet we sure do help them quite a bit in that regard.

How convenient for them that they can reach out and touch us here and let their fingers do the walking to misrepresent anything they want including us as individuals when it suits their needs.

Welcome to Amerika!

Proto,

I find myself looking forward to the time when we will uncover the army of sock puppets
that attacked the 9/11 forums for years, and still continue to this day!

I could name a few other conspiracies which I suspect are heavily monitered,
and attacked. More on that later....

I stumbled upon this information years ago, and thought it would be a great addition to your thread.

Yes, a real working link to an actual story about these Army Corps "sock puppets".

In a sworn affidavit, Jon Donley, Editor of the online version of New Orleans’ leading newspaper, the Times Picayune, described questionable and possibly illegal behavior by about 20 individuals at the U.S Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.

The activity occurred for several years immediately following the Corps of Engineers’ catastrophic levee failures during Katrina. Disguising their identities and using government equipment, the cadre routinely posted misleading and disparaging comments on public forums and news stories with a common theme. The group’s apparent goal, said Donley was to “attack people calling for (Corps) accountability, to silence critics and deflect independent review of the Katrina disaster.”

dailycensored.com...

reply to post by burntheships


And we see in this how the government specifically wants to avoid citizen accountability, all the while touting itself as a government of the people, by the people, for the people, but conspiring constantly to disenfranchise the people from being taken seriously when it comes to crticism of it.

"Independent Inquiries" is what they seem to fear the most, and with most of the Press owned by a handful of corporations whistly blowing stories like these are few and far in between and sometimes even then they serve some government or corporate agenda by getting rid of a weak link in the food chain or trying to hoodwink Americans into thinking that this is the extent of the problem, it's all been uncovered now.

It's truly incredible it's fade, fade, fade to the right on Iran and then out of no where it's cut to left on Libya while the defense was centered on the right and Iran.

Touchdown as the oil companies, banks, and military industrial complex score yet another war, almost bound to play to religious sensibilities of key Christian and Jewish voting blocks.

When you throw a vocal minority like those groups in with a clandestine government presence piggy backing off of and validating their arguments the next thing you really do have a minority appearing to be a solid if not overwhelming majority.

Dividing and conquering since 748 BCE, it truly is Rome at it's finest.

Laughing out loud literally at 3:38 the caption says it all

Long past time to march and physically throw these criminals out of their offices tho you might want to start with the White House.

Originally posted by UcDat
Laughing out loud literally at 3:38 the caption says it all

Long past time to march and physically throw these criminals out of their offices tho you might want to start with the White House.

You know I am not quite sue where the best place to start is at, the Corporations or the Government itself, since Government has long been corrupted by the Corporate body.

We could through every bum, fraudster, liar, and psycopant out of the Government and the corporations would have the new crop corrupted before they could even be sworn in.

In a lot of ways the Government is just the smoke, it's the corporate body and their agendas that are the fire.

Thanks for posting friend.