Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations
First Look.org ^ | Feb 24, 2014 | Glenn Greenwald

Posted on 03/01/2014 8:13:32 AM PST by KeyLargo

Dispatches

How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations

A page from a GCHQ top secret document prepared by its secretive JTRIG unit

"One of the many pressing stories that remains to be told from the Snowden archive is how western intelligence agencies are attempting to manipulate and control online discourse with extreme tactics of deception and reputation-destruction. It’s time to tell a chunk of that story, complete with the relevant documents.

Over the last several weeks, I worked with NBC News to publish a series of articles about “dirty trick” tactics used by GCHQ’s previously secret unit, JTRIG (Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group). These were based on four classified GCHQ documents presented to the NSA and the other three partners in the English-speaking “Five Eyes” alliance. Today, we at the Intercept are publishing another new JTRIG document, in full, entitled “The Art of Deception: Training for Online Covert Operations.”

(Excerpt) Read more at firstlook.org ...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: govtabuse; intelligence; internet; surveillance; whatsthefrnick; whatsthefrnicks
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

1 posted on 03/01/2014 8:13:32 AM PST by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Observing the fractures here which cause us to be disunited in our goals, one wonders how much of this is caused (or at least aided and abetted) by agencies and independent disruptors such as this.


2 posted on 03/01/2014 8:31:04 AM PST by Leroy S. Mort ("Don't say sh*t unless you know for sure it helps." - Raylan Givens)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
Paranoid!

Heh. I've been sounding the alarm, particularly on FR, as long as I've been here.

The Progressive NGOs hire trolls to live on conservative blogs and forums. It's a very cheap way to sway public opinion. The oligarchy have billions, why would it be surprising that they spend mere millions to propagandize the most important political discussions of our time?

You can be sure that Center for American Progress, MoveOn, every nonprofit paid by Soros, Buffett, Singer (now diseased), Gates… read every word we write. And they have figured out a way, I am convinced, to take over some old FR accounts so that they can have an early sign up date as they troll.

3 posted on 03/01/2014 8:32:00 AM PST by Mamzelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

bump for ref.


4 posted on 03/01/2014 8:35:27 AM PST by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nachum; null and void; LucyT; maggief; WildHighlander57; Jim Robinson

Is this the same article or a different presentation of the same material ?

Actions being discussed sure do look familiar


5 posted on 03/01/2014 8:40:05 AM PST by hoosiermama (Obama: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then or now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

1st Quarter FReepathon

Less than $5.4k to go!!
We can do this.

6 posted on 03/01/2014 8:43:15 AM PST by RedMDer (May we always be happy and may our enemies always know it. - Sarah Palin, 10-18-2010)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: hoosiermama; COUNTrecount; Nowhere Man; FightThePower!; C. Edmund Wright; jacob allen; ...
I think different presentation.

"Times through equals certainty."

Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!

To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...

7 posted on 03/01/2014 8:46:25 AM PST by null and void (<--- unwilling cattle-car passenger on the bullet train to serfdom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

When you attack (such as liberals attacking Free Republic) you open yourself up for a counterpunch. They would have to observe for responses to see how their attack is working. They would then be open to a counterpunch even if it is a subconscious counterpunch. Perhaps a question implanted in their subconscious asking why their bosses would want them to attack people exercising their freedom?


8 posted on 03/01/2014 8:54:43 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mamzelle

All in all, trolls have little success here on FR.

So little, in fact, that the mods have to leave some of their posts up just to satisfy the hunger to beat the snot out of them.


9 posted on 03/01/2014 9:05:52 AM PST by Balding_Eagle (Over production, one of the top 5 worries for the American Farmer every year.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS, ETC. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN A PERSON READ AND UNDERSTAND SUCH An alphabet soup article?


10 posted on 03/01/2014 9:17:02 AM PST by billhilly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mamzelle

Bump!


11 posted on 03/01/2014 9:22:03 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: hoosiermama; Nachum; null and void; LucyT; maggief

I agree with null and void’s take on it; same slides, different verbiage in between.

Slides are spot on in describing troll tactics, especially “packs” of them ganging up on sites and threads.

Some things that could be done to thwart them is

a)ignore them

b)expose them,

c)warn others about them

Comments welcome, FRmail if needed :)


12 posted on 03/01/2014 9:35:03 AM PST by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
One tactic I see used here and on other forums is "thread hijacking". This is where one or more people go off on a tangent and steer the conversation in a direction away from the original post.

Often they will get into fake arguments and posts become so heated and off topic that other people will stop following the thread and move on. Mission accomplished.

13 posted on 03/01/2014 9:55:17 AM PST by FReepaholic (Stupidity is not a crime, so you're free to go.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: WildHighlander57
Oh how the liberals howled regarding Nixon's ‘Dirty Tricks.’ Nixon and his crew were neophytes compared with these guys. If this government run disinformation/fraudulent activity directed at the the general public is being paid for with taxpayer dollars all these people need to go to jail. There is no way that appropriated money can be authorized for this kind of deliberate deceit and fraudulent activity.
14 posted on 03/01/2014 10:23:34 AM PST by iontheball
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Mamzelle

They are so obvious on FR that they usually get the ZOT within a few minutes of posting.


15 posted on 03/01/2014 10:26:01 AM PST by miserare (2014--The Year We Fight Back!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: FReepaholic
“Thread hijacking” is a common occurrence on almost all of the conservative web sites I visit. To me, it is obvious that the person is a troll and just trying to prevent discussion. I see this most often with certain topics. For example, homosexuality and anything to do with Obama’s creditability. I really started to notice this when Obama first started to run for the presidency. I think it is a very serious problem. I have seen topic after topic muted by this kind of attack.
16 posted on 03/01/2014 10:31:25 AM PST by Essie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: FReepaholic; KeyLargo; hoosiermama; Nachum; null and void; LucyT; maggief

Freepaholic, all y’all:

getting people to stop following the thread by threadjacking/starting arguments isn’t the only result; threads can get locked or pulled on account of it.

Mission thoroughly accomplished :(


17 posted on 03/01/2014 10:33:49 AM PST by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: iontheball

Yep, govt guys AND their minions (including, but not limited to, trolls) need to be held accountable for their actions.


18 posted on 03/01/2014 10:36:48 AM PST by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Leroy S. Mort

I wonder about longtime FRriends who suddenly disappear forever and those who have never done anything wrong but suddenly get zotted with no explaination.


19 posted on 03/01/2014 12:01:54 PM PST by bgill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: miserare

Only the new one. Older ones ingratiate themselves by initially contributing to the discussion and after building a plethora of followers that they’ve manipulated thru slight of hand put in their true intent.
To take down the research
Muddle the threads
Run off legit posters from Fr
Thereby destroying the site


20 posted on 03/01/2014 12:18:27 PM PST by hoosiermama (Obama: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then or now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson