US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks

US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propoganda

Continue reading on Examiner.com: US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propoganda - National Social Media | Examiner.com www.examiner.com...

The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage "fake people" on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues.
The contract calls for the development of "Persona Management Software" which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.
Click here to view the government contract (PDF)

According to the contract, the software would "protect the identity of government agencies" by employing a number of false signals to convince users that the poster is in fact a real person. A single user could manage unique background information and status updates for up to 10 fake people from a single computer.
The software enables the government to shield its identity through a number of different methods including the ability to assign unique IP addresses to each persona and the ability to make it appear as though the user is posting from other locations around the world.
Included in HBGary's leaked emails was a government proposal for the government contract. The document describes how they would 'friend' real people on Facebook as a way to convey government messages. The document reads:
• "Those names can be cross-referenced across Facebook, twitter, MySpace, and other social media services to collect information on each individual. Once enough information is collected this information can be used to gain access to these individuals social circles.
• Even the most restrictive and security conscious of persons can be exploited. Through the targeting and information reconnaissance phase, a person’s hometown and high school will be revealed. An adversary can create a classmates.com account at the same high school and year and find out people you went to high school with that do not have Facebook accounts, then create the account and send a friend request. Under the mutual friend decision, which is where most people can be exploited, an adversary can look at a targets friend list if it is exposed and find a targets most socially promiscuous friends, the ones that have over 300-500 friends, friend them to develop mutual friends before sending a friend request to the target. To that end friend’s accounts can be compromised and used to post malicious material to a targets wall. When choosing to participate in social media an individual is only as protected as his/her weakest friend."

Other documents in the leaked emails include quotes from HBGary CEO Aaron Barr saying, "There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas... Using hashtags and gaming some location based check-in services we can make it appear as if a persona was actually at a conference and introduce himself/herself to key individuals as part of the exercise, as one example."
Additional emails between HBGary employees, usually originating from Barr, discuss the vulnerability social networking causes.
One employee wrote, "and now social networks are closing the gap between attacker and victim, to the point I just found (via linked-in) 112 females, wives of service men, all stationed at Hurlbert Field FL - in case you don't know this is where the CIA flies all their "private" airlines out of. What a damn joke - the U.S. is no longer the super power in cyber, and probably won't be in other areas soon."
Barr also predicted a steady rise in clandestine or secret government operations to stem the flow of sensitive information. "I would say there is going to be a resurgence of black ops in the coming year as decision makers settle with our inadequacies... Critical infrastructure, finance, defense industrial base, and government have rivers of unauthorized communications flowing from them and there are no real efforts to stop it."
The creation of internet propoganda software is only one of HBGary's controversial activities. According to Wikileaks competetor and occasional collaborator Cryptome.org, several other progressive organizations were intended to be targeted including anti-war activist, anti-torture organizations and groups opposed to the US Chamber of Commerce.
The emails also include a number of other embarrasing entries including the purchase of the book "The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know" from Amazon for $6.76.
For more information on this and other stories click here.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propoganda - National Social Media | Examiner.com www.examiner.com...

And some people doubt the possibility that the government has paid posters on conspiracy sites like this.

Heck, they've went to the trouble to make fake ones!

Star and Flag! Nice find.

Even armed with this information... people will still not believe what the governments are doing to their citizens. The propaganda has taken hold of the people's minds and belief systems, cognitive dissonance rejects the facts proving what they do.

Very good post!

Is this part of what the president discussed with FB, Twitter, and other tech titans the other evening? Is this social suckiness considered ‘jobs creation’ by win-at-any-cost Washington operatives on behalf of the global totalitarian regime of the power eilte?

Sounds like a fascist propaganda campaign. ‘Fake people’ expressing fake views created by the US government to mix in socially and set the tone of our public discourse has a decidedly fascist tone underneath it.

I believe these "fake users" will post on ATS daily. Especially after everything that happened with Jared Loughner. That defiantly brought some government attention.

Good thing I deleted my Facebook. I guess the only way to fight this program is to be careful who you add on these sites. Make sure their profile is legit before accepting a request from them.

Anyone using facebook or twitter or google or anything like them should be aware that everything they enter into those services becomes public knowledge. I know they may claim differently but, do you believe them?

You now see why places like China and Iran attack myspace, facebook twitter and google. If they did not fake user would create a uprising like in Egypt. The battles in these countries right now are a right left US fight. The republicans like the dictators they can bribe and the left like the people and union style protest. What do you think all those websites lke myxpace and facebook are besides a database for the US government. Yes they call it social media and claim it is generated by people. But people would not tell someone who all there friends and family are and even tell what there doing at any moment in time if they knew it was a database to let there government spy on them.

So they create a crowd and the herd follows? Take a look at this link now that you are wondering.link

Good link! Looks like spying on us is now a money maker!
If I recall correctly, wasn't there a law that passed specifically against someone making a fake person on a social networking etc site.. Once again, the laws are just for us citizens and not for our government socialist groupies..Do as they tell us not as they do themselves..

Complete outrage should manifest with those who pay tax dollars in the US.....

Its the beginning of the end............

I don't think this is real. Our government wouldn't do this.

This automated message brought you by Persona 2.0 (TM)

reply to post by Surfrat
Wow,the fix is in!So basically they have free reign over the internet and could use this information to do just about anything they wish?This boggles the mind,I feel so naive sometimes when I read something like this how and who do you trust anymore?Is there any truth on the internet?...........S&F

reply to post by Surfrat
Oh just to let everybody know I'm a real person,not made up,can you(ATS'ERS) say the same?

new weapons for a new age and new enemies.

the war on the people is heating up.

I really don't understand how people can just graze over this. You could have swarms of disinfo agents throwing whole threads down the crapper with this thing. This is crap.

reply to post by butcherguy


You can usually tell if they repeatedly make threads/posts chock full of ignorance.

Nice try, U.S government! You sly bastards!