Wednesday 23 February 2011

Who Are You Talking To?

Well the US government wants you to believe that that 'friend' you're chatting with on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. is in fact a real person, when, if contract calls for the development of 'Persona Management Software' are successful, the reality is that they are nothing of the sort.

According to recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary, PMS software - no laughing at the back please - will allow US government agencies to create a number of fake online personalities, that will then go on to give the illusion of consensus on controversial government ideas. Peer pressure from completely virtual peers, if you will. Propaganda at it's very best, if you won't.

The software would allow government agency employees to engage real social-media users with any one of their 10 fake personas. Each persona would of course be assigned with unique, daily rotating IP address which would give the impression the personas are posting from different locations worldwide and also come replete with background, history, supporting details and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographically correct.

Giving the illusion of consensus on controversial issues! That's cyber-bullying, surely?
And our governments have the nerve to lecture children about that sort of behaviour.
Tut, tut, tut.

More details, in the form of the original government-contract synopsis, can be found here.


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2 comments:

banned said...

The US Government wants to be "my friend", how very comforting.

Groompy Tom said...

But they are your friend, banned.

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/headlines/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/im_from_the_government_im_here_to_help.jpg

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