The military’s plan is to enable up to 50 controllers each to manage “sock puppets” — false online personalities — and use them to counter pro-extremist content by inserting pro-American content into conversations conducted in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto. It is part of a $200 million psychological warfare program called “Operation Earnest Voice.” Its $2.76 million price tag is being spent with a company called Ntrepid (which didn’t seem to exist before it got the gig, and might be perfect for the job since the contract specifically requires “excellent cover and powerful deniability”).
This plan violates every principle of online peer-to-peer social experience. Authenticity. Credibility. Direct connections. Truth. These aren’t ideals that we can consider sacrificing in the pursuit of a greater good; rather, they’re the nuts and bolts of how social media work, according to what the experts keep telling us, so abusing them reduces the likelihood that the military’s campaign will succeed. We have extensive proof that this is true, as big brand names like Walmart have learned through painfully embarrassing experience.

Tratto da questo post di Jonathan Baskin.