Goverment Hires Internet Trolls to Disrupt Online Forums

beezzer
reply to post by Metallicus

 

Didn't the current administration start a campaign for online advocacy for Obamacare?

SnF!

Somebody should start a new anti-Obamacare thread...and we can keep track and post a list of all the Government-Initiated-Trolls (GITS) who try to derail it.

FlyersFan

CB328
It would explain why there are so many conservative haters on a site that should mainly appeal to free-thinking, intellectual type people.

... says the person with the Obama logo for an avatar and who is spewing the typical left wing agenda byline.

Hate to pile on but that thought has crossed my mind more than a few times.

I remember one of the mods going ballistic a short while back when someone just mentioned "lists" so I guess we need to rely on engram patterns.

With the amount of trolls on internet forums, you'd think at least ONE of them would have come forward and told people about this.

And especially on this forum, really, is there any need for a troll to derail a couple of threads on a whole site basically dedicated to exposing the real truth?


Ah well, my refusal to accept this as truth must just be me defending my job, right?

Never underestimate human stupidity, what you may see as intentional derailment might actually just be idiotic people.

Or it could be that with a thread open for discussion to a large number of people, unintentionally, the topic changes. Much like a conversation can with just two people. With a mass amount of opinions, you can almost guarantee going off on a tangent.

Bragi
That is absolutely ludicrous...sorry, but no.

How did that garner so much applause?



reply to post by Bragi


There's many ATS threads and articles on the topic of hired shills, not just limited to the US, implore you and others in doubt to research it. The one thread case in point shared on the OP article :

It should be noted that the alternative news website where this confession was recently re-posted was asked by the conspiracy website where it was originally posted to take it down, claiming that it is "libelous and utterly false," even though it does not name any specific names or identify who is behind these and other shill operations. When asked for an explanation, the conspiracy website in question simply stopped responding.

Of "I was a paid shill...", "It was a dank building with a long dark hallway..." disclosure that was shared on ATS and then elsewhere eventually was deemed a hoax and apparently appropriately so. Don't look to one in specific that as a disclosure, but rather releases about the topic as I mentioned first off.

LOL, the source is Natural News, and they couldn't even spell "government" correctly in the headline

While I'm sure there are government monitors watching in every conceivable forum (or shills, to use a more popular term) and especially on the alternative & anti-government ones, I highly doubt the government is spending extra money we don't have to pay people to be forum dillholes. People are more than capable of doing that themselves for free.

We live in a country where everything we do is watched, logged, and scrutinized. Of course there are likely to be government folk quietly watching forums under the guise of participants, if they participate at all. And to be honest, I'd be more suspicious of the ones who lurk & never post than the ones who do post. At least you can get a general idea of what the ones who post are ultimately aiming to influence.

Bragi

Or it could be that with a thread open for discussion to a large number of people, unintentionally, the topic changes. Much like a conversation can with just two people. With a mass amount of opinions, you can almost guarantee going off on a tangent.

It could be said and sometimes that is what happens.

It could also be said (and far more frequently) that when you get minimal responses to a post like:
"No you didn't"
"That's not true"

Or 2 seconds after you make a post on say Obamacare someone slams back at you with a denial while pasting in pages of supposedly supporting government legislation or documents.

Bragi
With the amount of trolls on internet forums, you'd think at least ONE of them would have come forward and told people about this.

Kinda interesting ... google .... 'admits to being a paid internet shill' and the ONLY thing that comes up was a hoax thread here.

I don't think it's really much of a matter of debate whether this exists. Anyone who says it's not true is in denial, or ignorant and uninformed on the subject, or otherwise....well.... "protesting too much" as I think the saying goes. It's well known that companies use such tactics. Google "paid forum posting" and you should be able to find some valid job listings.


I have also seen articles describing basically students being paid as online isreali lobbyists.....

I have also seen articles talking about how the government / military has expressed interest in such programs. This is a known fact.


And let's not forget the paper the Cass Sunstein wrote. Yet more proof linking the government to such activities.


Anyway, fortunately, these people are sometimes very easy to spot...

Bragi
That is absolutely ludicrous...sorry, but no.

i have had this feeling for years now about certain topics especially 9-11 and when you notice they never come on these threads calling them out i have been called nutter /drunk etc for pointing out what time the media was putting out 9-11 news in the u.k .

even when other u.k members have backed me up they will just go onto another thread spewing the gov propaganda it is pretty obvious who they are but they have many i.ds .

shame we have not seen greeneyed leo since 7th sept 2012 no log on for her wonder what went down there

reply to post by FlyersFan

well now here it is again vindale research get paid to post and read $1:00 per post

reply to post by Metallicus


that is why we have "freedom of speech" in this country.everyone is permitted to leave a comment.it doesn't matter if you agree with him or her.the diversity of opinions are really interesting..

There was a lot of news about this a couple years ago. The US military actually posted bids for software to create and manage sock puppet / shill accounts. Here's one article about it from the Huffington Post from back then, and I'm sure you can find many more.

The U.S. Military has purchased software designed to create and control false online personas in an attempt to use social media and other websites to counter anti-U.S. messaging.

According to the contract between US Central Command (Centcom) and California company Ntrepid, the software would let each user control 10 personas, each "replete with background, history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographically consistent." The software would also be able to let personas "appear to originate in nearly any part of the world" and interact through "conventional online services and social media platforms," while using a static IP address for each persona to maintain a consistent online identity.

These false online personas, also known as "sock puppets," would be equipped to seem like real people while entering online discussion through blogs, message boards, chats, and more. With a false persona, a user could discredit opponents, or create the semblance of consensus.

Apparently it was even discussed in the US Senate.

Of course they claimed they don't target American audiences or sites owned by American companies. Sound familiar?

reply to post by aries58

true but being payed to intentionally derail or get the topic off topic is something else, This goes beyond freedom of speech, but then we do not have freedoms any more

I do think government workers do monitor and post under the guise of security. Too bad this information can't be made public after their so called investigation. After all, the 9-11 cases are pretty much closed - so why shouldn't people be allowed to know what investigation techniques were used by the government.

I think there might be a lot of pass through money to organizations to do some of the more aggressive trolling. Give organization a grant and then they use that grant to pay people to post.

reply to post by Metallicus


You don't have to work for the government to be an antagonistic troll. Just think way outside the box.

I do it all the time on Yahoo and GTA4 Multiplayer Steam/Windows Live Servers.
My greatest accomplishment is being IP banned on infowars. I dont use any sort of Network Hacking Codes whatsoever.

I simply be myself, speak my mind with words. (I have managed to gather a rather large posse(Federal, Secret Societies, Organized Gangstalkers, Hackers etc) that want to squish my head.

" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"

90% of the hardcore trolls are in the ufo&alien and area 51 forumns of this board.

Unfortunately I had joined ATS to learn about greys and reptillians but got laughed out of town.

I ended up in the peripheral forumns. Now I enjoy everything to an extent.

One has to be in complete denial to miss the obvious though.

And secret societies forumn gets trolled by masons.

CB328

Most of us here at ATS won't be surprised that paid Goverment shills target online forums

It would explain why there are so many conservative haters on a site that should mainly appeal to free-thinking, intellectual type people.

Many conservatives have turned against the republican party after bush's term AND many liberals are now turning against the democrats run by obozo.

People are sick and tired of wars, lies, government going bankrupt, not enough jobs, etc.

I personally saw at least 3-4 people quit the past month because of the syria issue. In fact I was thinking of going totally ape # and just get banned.

reply to post by Willtell

How does one apply for that posiiton, I need some part time work, my food stampa are running out?

My sentiment exactly, seems like gainful employment to me, great work as far as "work" goes haha.

You can spot them a mile off... offering nothing to the debate other than put downs and humiliation tactics.

slayer420
reply to post by Willtell

 

How does one apply for that posiiton, I need some part time work, my food stampa are running out?

My sentiment exactly, seems like gainful employment to me, great work as far as "work" goes haha.

edit on 18-9-2013 by slayer420 because: (no reason given)

Id rather go hungry ethiopian style than spread misinformation knowningly. If god exists then bad karma will eventualy hit these people. Seriously one should have pride in their life.