Goverment Hires Internet Trolls to Disrupt Online Forums

Plenty of naive and/or absurd posts in this thread alone, which seems to attract trolls like flies to smelly #. I suspect the trolls are relatively few and they simply use multiple sock puppet accounts.

Its not just military psychological operations, its also think tank posters.

I hope the mods dont delete this post if they believe in freedom of speech. I wont be intimidated by gang stalking. grrrrr

reply to post by Metallicus

Goverment Hires Internet Trolls to Disrupt Online Forums

Yes because a health and nutrition website says so so it must be true....

Most of us here at ATS won't be surprised that paid Goverment shills target online forums and chat rooms. This article discusses how the Government, CIA, NSA and other assorted alphabet agencies actively recruit college students to disrupt and derail online discussion on conspiracy sites

I have seen claims like this made loads on ATS that the government has paid shills who post on ATS in attempt to change opinions and provide misinformation along side conducting some kind of cyber espionage against conspiracy communities like ATS.

Its all rubbish of course.

ATS and sites like it dont need some "G-Man" to log into ATS and start providing misinformation and dirty the waters. Seriously have you guys read the tripe that is posted on this site, and I mean the complete bollocks that some people post. Not on that the the vast army of gullible individuals who are quite willing to believe the rubbish that others, just like them post. Really why on earth would the government need to go pay people to post on these kind of sites to provide misinformation and muddy the waters when the members do it all themselves. And thats assuming that we are posting stuff that would worry the government and really, guess what, the head of the alphabet agencies are not losing any sleep over what a few keyboard warriors are posting on sites like ATS when its all information that is in the public domain anyway.

I think this conspiracy paranoia of "Oh the government are watching us" is just something that fuels the grandiose delusion of "we know something special that no one else knows or that the government are trying to keep secret".

I think we all have seen certain posters that consistently try to destroy open, intelligent debate on a variety of controversial topics.

Nope, not once have i ever read a thread or post on ATS and thought to myself "that guy's being paid to write that for someone with a evil agenda".

I think what you are actually talking about is when a member say posts something stupid like "Aliens killed JFK" (a example only) and a whole bunch of conspiracy fan boys jump on the wagon and start to elaborate on the conspiracy and add to it and start believing each others own rubbish as truth. Then sadly someone comes along who knows loads about the assassination of JFK and tells you all you are wrong because of x,y and z. In other words these "certain posters" you are talking about are not shills but just knowledgeable members who live in reality.

The result is that the guys who believe JFK was killed by aliens then find the only reasonable way out of this problem is to assume that the knowledgeable member(s) are actually "in on it" in someway and are therefore "shills" (a dirty word that actually means "AHHHH!!!! I have lost the argument"

There are a few on ATS that I personally suspect of being on the Goverment payroll

Why really why do you believe this?

Do you think that this is going on or are we just being paranoid?

Paranoid...

I am surprised that so many people here on a,
"CONSPIRACY SITE"
Find it so incomprehensible that there are paid trolls.

Of course there are paid trolls.

Especially during an election cycle.

stormdancer777
I am surprised that so many people here on a,
"CONSPIRACY SITE"
Find it so incomprehensible that there are paid trolls.

Of course there are paid trolls.

Especially during an election cycle.

edit on 123030p://bFriday2013 by stormdancer777 because: (no reason given)

Am quite sure too that, ats gets a fair share of them

I am looking for an old post, this is not it, but it is interesting
www.abovetopsecret.com...

There was once a pretty good thread on this subject, I can't find it,
giving up

how easy would it be to have 20 + profiles on a site like this and take over a thread have 3 people who are computer savvy and you could easy disrupt most sites .

look at how accounts that have rarely been used seem to show up when certain topics come up it is easy to spot even to a computer idiot like me .

if you were to monitor 4 or 5 sites it would give you a good idea of what people are thinking in general .

the bots can handle the rest and do not forget how many smart members are on a.t.s that can pick up on things in seconds .

what better way to find out if a xxxx up has been made then pull it from m.s.m before the general population has gotten wind of it think the navy yard shooting and 9 hrs

reply to post by geobro

how easy would it be to have 20 + profiles on a site like this and take over a thread have 3 people who are computer savvy and you could easy disrupt most sites .

This is actually a very good point but i dont think its paid government shllls that are behind multiple accounts rather I think its members with way to much time on their hands and a really bad case of Dissociative identity disorder.

its a easy 5 stars and 5 flags plus you can argue with yourself for a while between your multiple accounts to make your thread popular.

its sad but i do believe this does go on.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

it would be ever so easy to do given the budget and a few bodies .

i just know where the on and off buttons are anymore than that and i get confused i have just figured out how to post a you tube video after 2/5 years .

but the internet is being monitored to guage the reactions i would say

Metallicus

Text You've probably run into them before -- those seemingly random antagonizers who always end up diverting the conversation in an online chat room or article comment section away from the issue at hand, and towards a much different agenda. Hot-button issues like illegal immigration, the two-party political system, the "war on terror" and even alternative medicine are among the most common targets of such attackers, known as internet "trolls" or "shills," who in many cases are nothing more than paid lackeys hired by the federal government and other international organizations to sway and ultimately control public opinion.

Source

Most of us here at ATS won't be surprised that paid Goverment shills target online forums and chat rooms. This article discusses how the Government, CIA, NSA and other assorted alphabet agencies actively recruit college students to disrupt and derail online discussion on conspiracy sites. I think we all have seen certain posters that consistently try to destroy open, intelligent debate on a variety of controversial topics. There are a few on ATS that I personally suspect of being on the Goverment payroll. Do you think that this is going on or are we just being paranoid?

Conspiracy websites are typically the most heavily targeted by government officials.

Hmmm.

Of TA NEVVVA NEEEEVVAA LAAAANNNDDDDD

Xcalibur254
reply to post by WarminIndy

 

That actually gives me a way to put things into perspective. ATS currently has 288,559 members. Now I'm not sure if profiles are occasionally deleted due to inactivity nor if that includes banned members. That could be the total number of people who have joined ATS in its 10+ years of existence. In the past week we have had 7,496 members visit the site. Of course this doesn't account for lurkers, visits from bots, and any other entity that might be visiting the site. In comparison PewDiePie, the top YouTube user, has had 283,961 new subscribers to his channel in the past week. This is on top of his already 13 million+ subscribers and 2.45 billion video views. So someone explain to me why the government would be targeting ATS when a single YouTube user can generate as many subscribers in a single week as ATS has total?

While ATS does alright in site rankings it doesn't really have much influence outside of the conspiracy community. During my time here I can think of only two stories that made it in to the MSM that originated here. There was that one about the horses and then there was the Mars sasquatch. When it comes down to it ATS' shining moment was probably all the work and unity that went in to exposing the SERPO hoax. Yet ask a random person on the street about it and they'll have never heard of SERPO. Hell, many members on this site don't know what it is. As I have stated a number of times now, it would be pointless for the government to employ paid shills to infiltrate ATS. Our influence is minor and our own internal squabbles will cause us to be defeated long before any sock puppet could.

I never heard of the SERPO hoax.

Let's see...................................after reading 1st page, 3,6,8,12 and now 15? On what Troll's and their
action's?

And you all buy into this like you don't know or has been or will never be? And I though I was losing it! Why would you care anyway? Pay attention to your thread; likely some odd ball does come and changes the concept, rude,
so what?

What could most of us be hiding anyway? The Truth? Only as you see it anyway; most Conspiracies are just thought's floating in the wind! I find it strange when someone actually post's something that has no merit
at all get's the 15,20 pages of crap and nothingness while someone who actually said something worth saying
is left at 3-4 pages of reply's!

Fact. We know this World's going to Hell or is about near the door to Hell! Truth! Fact. While we waste time
going to War for Oil, we are wasting time finding another way of doing things about Energy. Fact! Zombies;
not like in the movies; with all the GMO's, Pills given out like their candy, who know's what's in the water, the air
you breath in everyday........................................ And your worried about Troll's?

Next come's how much? Has it come down to that, people selling out each other just for a buck? I know Christ said "Turn the other cheek" only this is Crazy!

Sorry people! I'm more worried about how much longer this World can handle the stress of Man then some troll spying on me. Crap could have hit the fan in the East and then what? Now what you gonna do with yourself?

Oil is gonna run out or be so high priced that you will be lucky just to own a candle; if your best friend did not come over and kill you first just to have it! When the Horn Blow's; seems it has already all that Man has to show for itself is turning back to a beast and nothing more.

Not all fit into this; some have gone beyond the concept of this understanding. Even the US, China, Japan and the like have Seer's. Books handed down from all age's had a person who saw the future in their time.
Now it is Blocked from all!

No one knows what to do so it is left for Trolls to spend their life finding out something even if it's a hint
of something that might work and change this world for the better. Now the one's who have Power Know it's about over anyway and trying to save themselves in cave's will not work. Seer's already told them this!

Man has come to the last step of a long path. Change your Way's or die! it's that simple. No God, Satan, Aliens, or nothing can Interfere with this! It is Man's choice and His Choice Only.

Some come to understand this; know it in their Heart as a Feeling that it will all be Okay. As for the rest of you, you know this as fear, rush to grab whatever you can before it's too late thinking I'm covered!

Wrong! It is of a Higher Understanding that go beyond the mind deep to the soul with in oneself. Some call it DNA actavation, some say it's the day of Christ's return, other's say were moving into the 4th Dim and others say Satan is Here!

And your Worried about TROLL'S?

Not only Here but Gaming forums too I have been attacked on gaming forums as well They downrepped me like crazy on GOG.com MOST of them are shills / trolls I'm absolutely sure of it.

Trolls and shills are not the same thing.
Trolls existed ages ago.
Shills are newer, and do allegedly get paid by someone.
You find them on newspaper blog s.Forums like this.
Medicine politics and conspiracies are what they focus on.

The ones working for the government are the ones telling everyone that fluoride and vaccines are safe and good for us.Or there's no way 911 was an inside job, of Obama is doing everything he promised to do back in 08.

They try to make anyone posting the obvious about things like this, look like a hysterical
ninny who is ignorant about the topic.
If they do this, people are less likely to believe said ninny.
This way they keep people from believing the truth.

These shills are quite obvious, as they post on every single thread about these things, and condescend to anyone disagreeing with them.

The ones here on ATS have posts that literally glow in the dark they're so obvious...
aherrrmmm


Trolls just disrupt with nonsense.
We had hundreds of them on LiveJournal , as far back as 2001

PtolemyII
Trolls and shills are not the same thing.
Trolls existed ages ago.
Shills are newer, and do allegedly get paid by someone.
You find them on newspaper blog s.Forums like this.
Medicine politics and conspiracies are what they focus on.

The ones working for the government are the ones telling everyone that fluoride and vaccines are safe and good for us.Or there's no way 911 was an inside job, of Obama is doing everything he promised to do back in 08.

They try to make anyone posting the obvious about things like this, look like a hysterical
ninny who is ignorant about the topic.
If they do this, people are less likely to believe said ninny.
This way they keep people from believing the truth.

These shills are quite obvious, as they post on every single thread about these things, and condescend to anyone disagreeing with them.

The ones here on ATS have posts that literally glow in the dark they're so obvious...
aherrrmmm


Trolls just disrupt with nonsense.
We had hundreds of them on LiveJournal , as far back as 2001

edit on 9/21/13 by PtolemyII because: (no reason given)

edit on 9/21/13 by PtolemyII because: (no reason given)

I don't believe 9/11 was an inside job. Am I now a shill because I said that? Where's my money?

stormdancer777
I am surprised that so many people here on a,
"CONSPIRACY SITE"
Find it so incomprehensible that there are paid trolls.

Of course there are paid trolls.

Especially during an election cycle.

edit on 123030p://bFriday2013 by stormdancer777 because: (no reason given)

I agree, I believe there are shills all over the net. They even direct conversation on ongoing legal systemissuesand trials. Imho

reply to post by PtolemyII

The ones working for the government are the ones telling everyone that fluoride and vaccines are safe and good for us.Or there's no way 911 was an inside job,

So because I have had all my vaccines and would encourage others to get them and I use fluoride fortified toothpaste and I also happen to be one of these people who dont think 9/11 was a inside job I must be a government shill.

OtherSideOfTheCoin
reply to post by PtolemyII

 

The ones working for the government are the ones telling everyone that fluoride and vaccines are safe and good for us.Or there's no way 911 was an inside job,

So because I have had all my vaccines and would encourage others to get them and I use fluoride fortified toothpaste and I also happen to be one of these people who dont think 9/11 was a inside job I must be a government shill.

Which reminds me, I need to get the flu shot. A lot of people getting sick around here who didn't have their flu shots. BTW, I always get the flu shot and so far nothing crazy has happened to me. I just don't get the flu.

You would think the makers of Nyquil would be in on shillery, to scare people away from flu shots so they get the flu, then people have to go buy more Nyquil.

Angelic Resurrection

stormdancer777
I am surprised that so many people here on a,
"CONSPIRACY SITE"
Find it so incomprehensible that there are paid trolls.

Of course there are paid trolls.

Especially during an election cycle.

edit on 123030p://bFriday2013 by stormdancer777 because: (no reason given)

Am quite sure too that, ats gets a fair share of them

Interesting if true.. Brings up some possibilities other than simply attempting to direct or deflect, misinform etc.

Here on ATS it is possible that they can attempt to control the site content by using flags and stars.

For example, I've seen some threads that in almost any context would be seen as pure propaganda, baseless conjecture and speculation presented as fact with "sources" but no real proof or substance. In one case it was Israel... You know, those evil Jews. Well I watched in minutes as it got dozens of flags and stars and the numbers kept growing well before there was even 1 reply, within time it was on the front page...

The ability to do THAT is far more intriguing to me than "shills/trolls" involved in discussions.

If there are paid trolls here and they are good enough to change people's position on important issues then perhaps those people were unable to think for themselves in the first place... Everyone has an opinion, perspective, maybe some are more sheep than people.

Controlling the opening post and content, making extreme positions popular and pushing it to the front page... Now that is real power. Especially on a site that gets the kind of traffic ATS does.

IMO, ATS should have a few people in "editorial" positions at the top that collectively review and control the stuff that gets to the front page...

Flags, stars, replies etc should be the last thing considered in that process.

ausername

Angelic Resurrection

stormdancer777
I am surprised that so many people here on a,
"CONSPIRACY SITE"
Find it so incomprehensible that there are paid trolls.

Of course there are paid trolls.

Especially during an election cycle.

edit on 123030p://bFriday2013 by stormdancer777 because: (no reason given)

Am quite sure too that, ats gets a fair share of them

Interesting if true.. Brings up some possibilities other than simply attempting to direct or deflect, misinform etc.

Here on ATS it is possible that they can attempt to control the site content by using flags and stars.

For example, I've seen some threads that in almost any context would be seen as pure propaganda, baseless conjecture and speculation presented as fact with "sources" but no real proof or substance. In one case it was Israel... You know, those evil Jews. Well I watched in minutes as it got dozens of flags and stars and the numbers kept growing well before there was even 1 reply, within time it was on the front page...

The ability to do THAT is far more intriguing to me than "shills/trolls" involved in discussions.

If there are paid trolls here and they are good enough to change people's position on important issues then perhaps those people were unable to think for themselves in the first place... Everyone has an opinion, perspective, maybe some are more sheep than people.

Controlling the opening post and content, making extreme positions popular and pushing it to the front page... Now that is real power. Especially on a site that gets the kind of traffic ATS does.

IMO, ATS should have a few people in "editorial" positions at the top that collectively review and control the stuff that gets to the front page...

Flags, stars, replies etc should be the last thing considered in that process.

edit on 21-9-2013 by ausername because: (no reason given)

My lightning bolt is 11, I don't even know why it's important. I made up two different, completely baseless conspiracy theories that were so random and even after I told people on the first page that I made it up, people still believed me and tried to dispute my theories.

I even had people defending my theories, even after I told them I had made it up. Some people caught early on that I had made them up, because they knew the trolls would come.

The title of one was "This is how conspiracy theories are made". And people didn't get the idea from that. I think the government should pay me just for being creative. Even though I had told them it was made up, they still accused me of being a shill because I took a certain position in the thread. Really?

I have had only one username because that's what the T&C said. I respect ATS and their rules. But people making more than one to star themselves, that's ridiculous. If they can't stand on their theories, then why be on here? Maybe ATS should send us randomly generated emails associated with our accounts so we can verify our accounts. People have to be making a lot of emai addies just to keep it up and I am sure they might forget after a while which emails they used.

reply to post by WarminIndy


Are you admitting to a hoax?

In the few cases I have observed, (well before the current site changes) it seemed coordinated to me, as soon as the opening post was up (in more than one case, same OP, similar anti-Israeli material) the flags and stars were way too quick, as if it was being done without even reading the content inside. My guess that either private messages or social network was used to get most of those. In the end it ended up on the front page, and then quickly became a hot topic after that.