Offical Disinfo Program revealed - Newest U.S. Counter'terrorism' Strategy: Trolling

There are many signs of the times, and this is a good one.
I can see how it may seem innocent, but it really scares me that it can be made to look so legitimate and acceptable.
The buzz word here is (no surprise) terrorist, and this is their justification.
But what they are really doing is delegitimizing people who have legitimate concerns about the US regime.

Fact is, if the US was right they would not have to go to such despicable lengths to silence people.

The internet is last free realm we have, and it is hardly free. When we loose its freedom completely and that is obviously going to be soon I fear that we may have just lost our last draw card in fighting the dictatorship.

Newest U.S. Counter'terrorism' Strategy: Trolling

Within the State Department, a Silicon Valley veteran has quietly launched an improbable new initiative to annoy, frustrate and humiliate denizens of online extremist forums. It’s so new that it hasn’t fully taken shape: Even its architects concede it hasn’t fleshed out an actual strategy yet, and accordingly can’t point to any results it’s yielded. Its annual budget is a rounding error. The Pentagon will spend more in Afghanistan in the time it takes you to finish reading this sentence. But it also represents, in the mind of its creator, a chance to discourage impressionable youth from becoming terrorists — all in an idiom they firmly understand. And if it actually works, it might stand a chance of cutting off al-Qaida’s ability to replenish its ranks at a time when it looks to be reeling. The program, called Viral Peace, seeks to occupy the virtual space that extremists fill, one thread or Twitter exchange at a time. Shahed Amanullah, a senior technology adviser to the State Department and Viral Peace’s creator, tells Danger Room he wants to use “logic, humor, satire, [and] religious arguments, not just to confront [extremists], but to undermine and demoralize them.” Think of it as strategic trolling, in pursuit of geopolitical pwnage.

honestly, this seems like one of those things that "they" put out there to make everyone think that something like this is a good idea.


my point: i think that

1. the whole article is disinformation (not pointing to you op ) designed to make everyone really believe that they "need" to do something like this because there's really "something" going on. basically THEY are recruiting the people who read the article, to believe "their government stuff" its brainwashing.

EDIT: its basically a lie within a truth tactic: they say "we are going to troll the bad guys"

how do we know the "bad guys" are even real, or the bad guys "they" say they are?

we read this and instantly believe that because they are trolling, that suddenly the bad guys and everything else they tell us is real.

creepy.


2. they are trying to (as a side bonus) *obviously* make extremists really uneasy, more so than they already are so that they don't trust each other, and do much crazier things, in addition to getting each other banned from places they talk because "he is a troll!" "no he is the gov disinfo!!" "no U!!" (dumb move from gov because the internet is the best place to be able to constantly monitor these crazy fanatics (whoever they may be)


3. so all in all, this article is a catalyst that will work in the favor of whatever powers that put it out there in many many ways, so they can gain a stronger grip of evil over the world. watch out people, this smells really bad.

Well it does make sense... considering:

www.china.org.cn...
Top 20 news stories of 21st century

#14

Social Media as Strategic Weapon

I don't agree with the order in which this website has placed these events, but just looking at them... paints a pretty clear direction and initiative.

Deception is the greatest tool in the art of war. There is a 'war' for our minds, as force is no longer an option... due to numbers, so it's easier just to manipulate people. Instead of putting guns to peoples heads, all you have to do is use manipulation... and anything you want done, can be accomplished by numbers.

reply to post by SoymilkAlaska


people are awakening .There is a forum member John Carter do admitted that he works for intelligence agencies and monitors and disseminates propaganda.

Govt is trying to cover up crimes.

Please note link number one in my signature.

We see the battle raging all day long.......
From morning to bed time and beyond , we are bombarded with mind control techniques.
The soundly scientifically based propaganda memes are inserted constantl into most social media......(even our free internet is now laced with unwanted messages and commercias etc....
If you have been paying attention you have noticed the "one trick ponys" come and go.................
The Avatars which make no bones about their agendas.......
The never ending stream of thought preached by familiar identities ..........the Troll posts of a hit and run nature...etc etc....
Every medium is urgently trying to impart messages to your subconcious mind these days.....
I see no difference in all these attempts to indoctrinate us...
Its no matter whether its to buy some particlar brands or hate some particular bunch of people or ideas......
The facts of the matter is it may be driving the society as a whole into some form of automatic behaviors, or mind sets which are unhealthy at best.
Ever tool and trick that is used in propagandizing us is proven out pschological and researched well before being implemented.....
The worrysome part is we have no total defense against this kind of conditioning...as it is pervasive and constantly being regurgitated at us.......
Its a wonder, reall that we can think clearly at all.......................or is that an illusion too?

I have known this for years.

There are a number of posters on ATS alone that do this. Some say they are just being cynical and childish, but they also happen to toe the establishment line with their trolling.

There is also another method of "removing dissent", and that is to turn your postings into "spam messages" (junk site advertisements i.e.) without your knowledge. Other times they run algorithms that insert absurd amounts of spelling and grammatical errors in posts to completely discredit the information. It's possible it has happened to *you* at some point, and you never knew about it. Other people just read your "manipulated ranting" and assumed you were just stupid.

Scary? Yes. Surprised? No. Know who you talk to.

Oh, awesome.

Let's do further blur the line between those who do it for kicks and those who do it for pay.

reply to post by HumanCondition


Seems pretty clear to me that what this will accomplish is the fact that nobody will be sure of who is who, and all will be unclear on just who/what to believe. So people.. just gonna have to listen to your Gov't.




Follow your instincts.

Is this for real? Trolling as a subversive effort?

Really?

Originally posted by SyphonX
I have known this for years.

There are a number of posters on ATS alone that do this. Some say they are just being cynical and childish, but they also happen to toe the establishment line with their trolling.

Could you point out those posters for the benefit of the ATS bro'therhood, Bro?

TIA!

But it also represents, in the mind of its creator, a chance to discourage impressionable youth from becoming terrorists — all in an idiom they firmly understand. And if it actually works, it might stand a chance of cutting off al-Qaida’s ability to replenish its ranks at a time when it looks to be reeling.

Because we all know about the vast number of impressionable youths turning to terrorism. Because it's been a consistent problem. (sarcasm) How will they know it works if there's no data for comparison?

Of course they'll go trolling to veil the truth and spread disinfo. We are in the actual situation because of the fabrication of too much lies.

If those lies would get clearly exposed, we would be seeing some radical change. And no, that wouldn't make the people 'terrorists' as they imply. But what that would be is to expose the real criminals.

As I said, the exposure of the 'truth' is not nor has ever been of their personal interests.

The NWO transition is in full swing. They have succeeded in taking away freedoms that we took for granted as part of the constitution, they have ravaged our financial system, and now that this internet thing is so handy for the people, they have got to tear that down too.

They do everything in steps. Today it will be hints of bad people colluding on the internet, and evil hackers, tomorrow, it will be dangerous terrorists in every website plotting against us, and stealing your identities through social websites, leading up to some big mandates that take over the internet and give it to the MSM for all your daily programming. These are my guesses.

I am actually quite shocked that Cass Sunstein just resigned, he seemed to be leading the way on this.

en.wikipedia.org...

Sunstein co-authored a 2008 paper with Adrian Vermeule, titled "Conspiracy Theories," dealing with the risks and possible government responses to false conspiracy theories resulting from "cascades" of faulty information within groups that may ultimately lead to violence. In this article they wrote, "The existence of both domestic and foreign conspiracy theories, we suggest, is no trivial matter, posing real risks to the government’s antiterrorism policies, whatever the latter may be." They go on to propose that, "the best response consists in cognitive infiltration of extremist groups",[25] where they suggest, among other tactics, "Government agents (and their allies) might enter chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups and attempt to undermine percolating conspiracy theories by raising doubts about their factual premises, causal logic or implications for political action."[25] They refer, several times, to groups that promote the view that the US Government was responsible or complicit in the September 11 attacks as "extremist groups." They also suggest responses: "We can readily imagine a series of possible responses. (1) Government might ban conspiracy theorizing. (2) Government might impose some kind of tax, financial or otherwise, on those who disseminate such theories

www.washingtonmonthly.com...

On this sleepy Saturday in August we are having what is, by all appearances, a classic slow news weekend. But one news story of note is Cass Sunstein’s resignation as White House overseer of regulation. No reason was given for his departure.