Is ATS a DOD/CIA funded psyops?

originally posted by: grainofsand

originally posted by: yuppa

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: yuppa

...all of whom are under absolute control of the British Crown. We just like to delegate some of the less tasteful jobs to you guys so you can feel important.

@SkepticOverlord, please be close to your secure landline for the next hour as your standing orders are about to be updated...

Now now.. I didnt know we were allowwed to give that bit away at least not yet. SIgh. Gotta go the red phone is ringing,and the backwards type writer is typing. Apparently The alternate dimension is asking for a update. Uugh.. a scribes work is never done.

NEW INSTRUCTIONS >>>>>The red fox trots quietly at midnight >>>>> Garden full of weeds, need pulling out by roots, shed door unlocked 19:00GMT >>>>> END OF MESSAGE

BY YOUR COMMAND!!*cylon salute*

it doesn`t really matter does it? I mean it`s on the internet so follow normal internet protocol, never tell the truth.

a reply to: Tardacus

What?

Cool, ATS needs more mirth!

And Frankincense as well as the obligatory Gold ...

originally posted by: Springer
a reply to: Tardacus

What?

Stop playing dumb shilllizard! We know they (we don't know who they is!) give you tons of money to run this place! You know what he meant! Never admit you're really a cat pretending to be some weird guy human in WA like me! Always keep up the lies, they protect you from horrible internet monsters like yourself (we all know you're the head of the CIA)! Your terrible scales and tale and reptile pupils aren't hidden by the glossy veneer of this website! We've figured you out!

The fact that this thread is still open, and you are legally obligated by interplanetary law to keep threads open that are getting close to unveiling your dastardly plans for data mining conspiracy theorists PROVES(!) you're a high level Mason (probably rank 90 +), a reptilian and Hillary Clinton's best friend!

I've noticed you only come out of your Moon terrarium when someone questions your integrity. Interesting...

The audacity. When will you CIA space iguanas ever learn?

We're freaking on to you.

a reply to: Domo1

I take that accusation as insulting, I'd never be the head of the CIA, I'd want the real power... Director of DNI

a reply to: Domo1


Oooo..... Someone is getting uppity.


Waiting for the emf weapons to start targeting a certain cat at the direction of our reptilian leader....

(there's gotta be a 'tastes like chicken' joke in there somewhere)

a reply to: Springer

errr, what is the DNI?

a reply to: zazzafrazz

Director National Intelligence

a reply to: Zaphod58

Director National Intelligence

So he wants to be the director of the director.

With all the Mod bannings, I'm sure glad I didn't post in this thread.... oh wait... ooops...

I obviously don't mean that some intelligence agency may be writing out checks, but the thought has crossed my mind many times that ats, infowars et. al. have been very successful in dictating the narrative of modern discourse on many topics of interest to those with agendas or ideas that may seem dangerous to interests of state and capital. And in the process these sites like ats have trivialized dissent to the point where posting irrelevant memes and truly ignorant opinions as if they were fact is, by many, considered participation in a community of ideas. It just seems that, knowing that intelligence agencies actively participate in cognitive infiltration through social media, it would be in their best interest actually steer the presentation of ideas as well as merely lurking and data mining. So many websites that get heavy traffic were created and incubated as projects by companies and groups who are only tangentially related to the market audience of the particular website. When I say "funded," I suppose I am speaking much more broadly, as in having been tasked as an intelligence asset, not an employee, to create a place for the loonies to talk amongst themselves. Intelligence agencies would have really missed the boat by not lending a hand in the creation of these platforms as having backdoor access to the sites and, for lack of a better term, editorial oversight, as to what is discussed and which voices are heard the most clearly would have many advantages.

I don't think it is quite the same as suggesting the site was created by aliens to suspect that it may have somehow been helped along the way by intelligence interests with or without the knowledge of the many administrators that help run the show. I appreciate your taking the time to answer what must be a very tiresome question in a considerate and helpful way. At the end of the day it doesn't matter one way or the other. We can always plan our insurgencies and guerrilla warfare with carrier pigeons and smoke signals.

a reply to: SteveDriggs

A seriously toned response to that would be:

Fair enough of a supposition. Now let me ask a counter question. Why would it be necessary to muddy waters that are already self-muddying? The conspiracy community has been around longer than the Internet, having previously relied upon small printing-press generated newsletters and frequent local conventions and group get-togethers.

The reality inherent in a group of people who are inherently distrustful and questioning by their very natures is that the group will almost always display manifestations of that nature. Discord is baked into the formula itself.

Surveillance is nearly universal at this point, particularly in the digital realm. That goes without saying. But as for the notion of this community requiring some agenda driven subterfuge to somehow misdirect conversations? Honestly I think that is an organic and predictable outcome without any interference required.

Could there be such people here. Of course there could. My personal experience tends to make me think that these people, if they are here, are probably more specific issue and civilian in nature. More Corporate than Government. But in the end none of it matters as it's impossible to differentiate, for example, from, say, a guy who really loves his guns and a person who might work for the NRA. Ultimately both parties, private and paid, post in exactly the same manner anyway and debating with them, paid or not, would involve the exact same process.

Conversations here can only be steered if the opposition to any position either gives up, did not have a strong argument to begin with, or is ill-prepared for debate. Facts will trump any agenda if argued correctly.

The only other tactic open to paid posters would be outright disruption and, thankfully, the ATS T&C's are structured to mitigate those risks and minimize the impact of any such attempt.

a reply to: SteveDriggs

Well, that is a different line of thought altogether then, isn't it? Rather than the old chestnut of ATS=CIA you are wondering as to if ATS would be a safe place to plan an insurrection an direct strategy of forces... The simple answer is of course not. Nothing on the web would safe haven for such communication as having planning sessions in their own conference rooms would be just as secure and give just as much advance knowledge of battle plans.

The internet was built by the DoD and used as a communication platform for military and intelligence avenues. Heck, I remember the good old days of Telnet when you could go to the CIA's node and attempt to login (if you wanted). Back when you could map out the backbone nodes (and reroute your connections provided you had the right accounts to do so).

As to the first part of the post. The idea of paid shills steering conversation... not a new theory around here or anywhere for that matter. You might notice a political bias in your Facebook feed from time to time. You might notice that here as well. Just that the question is to as if the poster supports a particular ideology because they agree with it or are hired to support it.

When you can tell the difference between genuine enthusiasm and enthusiastic work ethic with absolute certainty, be sure to let me know. It is harder than you think at first glance. As a member, I skip the spit from shinola. As a moderator, I have to review them both.

That makes a lot of sense. I honestly don't know the site well enough to know how page design or censorship (if any exists) would or could steer the conversations or if there actually is an ats angle unique to this site that would necessarily indicate a particular political bias. I guess I am just so unable to understand the mindset of the large numbers of people in these communities who choose, for example, to believe that a school massacre is a hoax. I can merely see why someone who wants to confuse people (for whatever reason) into believing the ruling elite is all powerful and debased and can only be defeated by rugged American individualism might have a vested interest in perpetuating certain types of conspiracy theories.

I'll try to give an example of muddying up already muddy waters that would be in corporate and governmental interests. Take the the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. Many of us who are angry about the actual facts of the operation are in a way silenced because of the value that some fringe, but powerful, media outlets find in publishing the ridiculous. The facts are that there was a vast conspiracy of mostly Saudis to attack America in retaliation for Western support of war on Muslims in Somalia, Russia's war on Muslims in Chechnya, India's oppression of Muslims in Kashmir, Israeli aggression against Lebanon, US support of Israeli apartheid in occupied Palestine and of course the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. The facts are that many of these terrorists were trained and/or organized by or took orders from those who were intelligence assets armed and payed by the US. It was a huge political miscalculation. Almost immediately honest questions about CIA and US military geopolitical meddling for corporate profit were silenced as un-American or ridiculed as conspiracy theory. I cannot have a conversation to this day about US culpability in the attacks without the vast majority of people thinking that I believe no planes hit the buildings or that there was a controlled demolition, etc. The story has been framed as a debate between those who believe it was a tragic unprovoked attack for which US interests bear no culpability– carried out by jihadists who hate our freedom VS those who believe it was "an inside job." There is no nuanced public debate. Yes, the mainstream media works well to muddy up the water with jingoism, saturating the consciousness of those who fall into the first category, but it seems like infowars and ats etc. go out of their way to provide the platform for only that one ridiculous counter argument, sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek, but i suspect many community members honestly believe in the reality of much of the obvious nonsense that is published here. The more people pick between one of those two sides, the better it is for the corporations who dictate government and military policy. Two different sets of useful idiots.

Apologies if that didn't make a lot of sense. I'm on zero sleep the last couple of nights.


a reply to: Hefficide

originally posted by: N3k9Ni
Of course it's not CIA or DoD funding this site. It's the Illuminati.

Agreed
Well sort of, I think...

My military contacts tell me that ATS was targeted by NSA for being a rich data source, but their attempts were flatly refused.
There are other governments monitoring ATS as well, mainly Mossad of Israel. They play hardball with anything anti Semitic.
Haven't seen too much of that here, but it is seen sometimes. Even criticizing certain things can get a person on a list somewhere.

Cerebrate Adversity

originally posted by: SteveDriggs
There is no nuanced public debate. Yes, the mainstream media works well to muddy up the water with jingoism, saturating the consciousness of those who fall into the first category, but it seems like infowars and ats etc. go out of their way to provide the platform for only that one ridiculous counter argument, sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek, but i suspect many community members honestly believe in the reality of much of the obvious nonsense that is published here. The more people pick between one of those two sides, the better it is for the corporations who dictate government and military policy. Two different sets of useful idiots.

I think the strongest rebuttal can be found in our forums themselves. If ATS had "official opinions" on the topics we discuss, then you definitely have a case. The thing is, we don't.

There is no official ATS position on any subject other than the terms & conditions, and they are pointedly neutral on what our forums cover.

The test of that is to choose any forum and start reading. The first thing that becomes clear is that there are very few things all ATSers agree on, and lots of things about which we disagree.

And THAT is what makes things interesting.

Though skewed toward English-speakers, the ATS community is comprised of people from all over the world, each of whom is exposed to different media sources and brings their own perspective to the topics we discuss. Being able to compare and contrast these perspectives gives all of us a chance to pierce the veils of propaganda, prejudice and insularity that otherwise constrain our world views.

Of course, in practice what usually happens is we promote our cherished beliefs and stubbornly defend them against all challenges, but even then, the fact that we don't all share the same beliefs works in our favor. In such an environment, once in a while, it's possible we'll see something just compelling enough to change our minds.

And THAT is what makes it all worthwhile.

It may not be obvious at first glance, but what ATS does is provide a place where ideas come to clash, facts trump fiction, critical thinking dominates and skepticism reigns supreme.

If you think ATS provides a "platform for only that one ridiculous counter argument", think again. The idea of only a single side in any argument on ATS is foreign to our culture and the substance of almost every thread.

And if you don't believe me, that's good. Excellent, in fact.

See for yourself, and see if I'm wrong.





P.S. And please do try to catch up on sleep if you can. Health first.

Yes!
but mostly to find out who'd side you are on.
so they can take you out later.

a reply to: zazzafrazz

The AllMighty Power of ALL Intelligence in the "free World". Ronald Pandolfi was close to getting it for a spell and I know him by virtue of many mutual friends, it's the penultimate power job that nobody has heard of (for a reason obviously)