"Paid To Troll Social Media" (create messages, submit fake docs, cause concern)

kpete

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Wed Feb-09-11 07:31 PM
Original message

"Paid To Troll Social Media" (create messages, submit fake docs, cause concern)

Edited on Wed Feb-09-11 07:48 PM by kpete

To what extent is what we�re seeing just an extension of
what our own government is trying to combat Wikileaks?

The Disinformation Campaign Bank of America Considered
By: emptywheel Wednesday February 9, 2011 4:15 pm

Wikileaks has posted the presentation three security companies�Palantir, HBGary Federal, and Berico Technologies�made to Bank of America, proposing to help it respond to Wikileaks.
http://wikileaks.ch/IMG/pdf/WikiLeaks_Response_v6.pdf

In addition to the degree to which the proposal emphasizes the national security ties and military background of the employees of the company (particularly Berico), the presentation fleshes out what the companies proposed. Under potential proactive tactics, it lists:

* Feed the fuel between the feuding groups. Disinformation. Create messages around actions to sabotage or discredit the opposing organization. Submit fake documents and then call out the error.
* Create concern over the security of the infrastructure. Create exposure stories. If the process is believed to not be secure they are done.
* Cyber attacks against the infrastructure to get data on document submitters. This would will the project. Since the servers are now in Sweden and France putting a team together to get access is more straightforward.
* Media campaign to push the radical and reckless nature of wikileaks activities. Sustained pressure. Does nothing for the fanatics, but creates concern and doubt amongst moderates.
* Search for leaks. Use social media to profile and identify risky behavior of employees.

.................

Of particularly interest, they describe HBGary Federal�s abilities to conduct INFOOPS, including �influence operations� and �social media exploitation.�

In other words, in addition to proposing to conduct cyber attacks on Wikileaks� European-based infrastructure (complete with a picture of WL�s bomb shelter-housed servers), the proposal appears to recommend that these companies be paid to troll social media, like Twitter, to not only �identify risky behavior of employees� but also, presumably, �push the radical and reckless nature of wikileaks activities.� You know�the kind of trolling we often see targeted at Glenn (and in recent days targeted against David House, who was also listed in this presentation).

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2011/02/09/the-disinformation-campaign-bank-of-america-considered/

"Submit fake documents and then call out the error."
This is the one that just jumped out at me. Who does that? Hmmmm. This is exactly what they did to Dan Rather.

"Paid To Troll Social Media" (create messages, submit fake docs, cause concern)

To what extent is what we�re seeing just an extension of what our own government is trying to combat Wikileaks?

To what extent is what we�re seeing just an extension of
what our own government is trying to combat Wikileaks?