Posted on 01/16/2009 12:36:53 PM PST by Sidebar Moderator
Thanks to many FReepers who have sent us this information. Apparently, this is floating around the Internet now. It is a guide to trolling. While it may or may not be fake in its origins, we do see these techniques all the time and felt it would be good to share with everyone.
______________________________________________________ COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum..
There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a ‘uncontrolled forum.’
Technique #1 - ‘FORUM SLIDING’
If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by ‘forum sliding.’ In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to ‘age.’ Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a ‘forum slide.’ The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a ‘forum slide’ and ‘flush’ the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then ‘replying’ to prepositined postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting ‘slides’ down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.
Technique #2 - ‘CONSENSUS CRACKING’
A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at *********) is ‘consensus cracking.’ To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger ‘evidence’ or disinformation in your favour is slowly ‘seeded in.’ Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then ‘abort’ the consensus cracking by initiating a ‘forum slide.’
Technique #3 - ‘TOPIC DILUTION’
Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a ‘RESOURCE BURN.’ By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a ‘gossip mode.’ In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to ‘drive in the wedge.’ By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.
Technique #4 - ‘INFORMATION COLLECTION’
Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a ‘show you mine so me yours’ posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your ‘favorite weapon’ and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favorite ‘technique of operation.’ From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.
Technique #5 - ‘ANGER TROLLING’
Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to ‘stage’ a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to ‘lead’ the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you ‘do not care what the authorities think!!’ inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.
Technique #6 - ‘GAINING FULL CONTROL’
It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavorable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the ‘ultimate victory’ as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a ‘honey pot’ gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.
CONCLUSION
Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precedence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.
Here’s an update. I’m glad to see the definition posted is the definition being used, finally.
Is this really it? (re: possible Obama’s Kenyan B.C. - Attny Taitz) Click on the link
Wednesday, August 05, 2009 12:08:43 AM · 6,771 of 10,069
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306351/posts?page=6771#6771
Admin Moderator to Star Traveler
Here’s the deal. We have had much correspondence with you about this recently. If you are looking for an itemized contract with specific terms spelled out for your personal edification, then it would probably suit your needs best to choose the break from your routine which was suggested earlier. There is simply not enough time in the day for any volunteer Mods to babysit.
Stay off all of these threads.
Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6766 | View Replies
Government school threads, as well!
I honestly believe that the trolls on the natural born status of Obama and government school threads are full-time, **paid**, professionals.
No one could be stupid enough to do it for free. There might be a few dedicated volunteers; but hey, ACORNs get paid. I wonder if it’s by the word or the hour, and does anyone check their work?
Our interesting discussion on current troll issues...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2333868/posts?page=313#313
To: Kevmo
I’ve been dealing with trolls on the education threads for some years now. They serve a **useful** purpose:
1) Responding to the them repeatedly bumps the thread to the top with **my** message for all to read, and it sinks and buries their message.
2) They serve as a backboard against which conservatives can sharpen, simplify, and condense the conservative message.
3) A troll’s posts give conservatives and opportunity to share conservative talking points with conservatives.
4) Most often the troll is an idiot and their logical fallacies are plainly out there for all to see.
5) And...Sometimes the troll gets mad enough to start calling names and using profanity ( a natural state for all Useful Idiot communists) and makes **them** look bad.
So....The trick is to not taking them at all personally. Your posts help other conservatives, and it wastes the paid-professional troll’s time and money, and gives **you** an opportunity to get **your** message out there.
Sometimes, when they get absolutely **furious** with me, I laugh and remind them that I don’t give a twit about their opionions. I am here to share ideas with conservatives and find them very useful for doing exactly that. They get even more sputteringly enraged after I tell them that. :-)
Trolls are **great**great** fun!
285 posted on Monday, September 07, 2009 1:56:27 PM by wintertime (People are not stupid! Good ideas win!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 232 | View Replies | Report Abuse]
To: wintertime
I see you’re used to the onesie-twosie trolls. What I’ve seen in the last 2 years are tag-team trolls. First on the Tootyfruityrudy threads, then on the Certifigate threads. I noticed it on the Terry Schiavo threads before that but I didn’t engage at that time.
Regular trolls like the education trolls are fun, as you say. But tag-team trolls are allow openings for obamabots and others; they’re an incredible annoyance.
There are a lot of single-issue trolls as well. There were tons of them on the Crevo threads, and those threads were some of the most heated discussion on FR. But eventually, JimRob started noticing that one particular side didn’t really actively engage on other conservative issues and he started to key up on them in the same way they’d been treating their FR counterparts. They didn’t last long, and started Darwin Central, which has about 1/20th as many participants as FR.
Since this has been an interesting discussion, I’m going to repost it at the Trolling 101 thread.
COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum. (Trolling 101)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165967/posts
313 posted on Monday, September 07, 2009 2:42:17 PM by Kevmo (So America gets what America deserves - the destruction of its Constitution. ~Leo Donofrio, 6/1/09)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 285 | View Replies | Report Abuse]
Just because someone is new, doesn't make them a troll
Just because someone has been here a long time doesn't necessarily mean they aren't a troll. One poster whom we all know has been here forever.
Pinging to refresh our memory.
Recognize any wordsmith, fancy smancy moves, or calling something gray when it is clearly blue.
When you asked for help and I chimed in, NS was very contritionary.
That is how bullies are. They know when they have met a willing and oppositional force. They have no defense to someone who is willing to engage and makes it plain they will go all the way.
Next time I see NS and his contrary and often personal posts I will take him/her/IT on and that should shut NS down.
Thanks for the fun. Hope MGHinTN gets a few in. We are not bullies but we are defenders of our ladies.
Thank you. It is greatly appreciated. Don't think NS was expecting anyone to call her on her ugly remarks.
This oughtta be interesting.
!!
I just don’t quite have the hang of it all yet, but something I keep seeing over and over. They often haven’t a clue what they are talking about, post inane responses, try to make you responsible for their lack of knowledge while trying to sound particularly knowlegeable, then say it is your fault because YOU didn’t say clearly what you clearly said.
Excuse the runon, but I am still trying to absorb this crap. I am used to being able to look someone in the eye.
Throw this into the mix.
REMEMBER ALINSKY’S ‘RULES FOR RADICALS:
Rule 5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.
Rule 8: Keep the pressure on. Use different tactics and actions and use all events of the period for your purpose. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this that will cause the opposition to react to your advantage.”
Rule 11: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it. Don’t try to attack abstract corporations or bureaucracies. Identify a responsible individual. Ignore attempts to shift or spread the blame.
“One of the criteria for picking the target is the target’s vulnerability ... the other important point in the choosing of a target is that it must be a personification, not something general and abstract.”
According to Alinsky, the organizer — especially a paid organizer from outside — must first overcome suspicion and establish credibility. Next the organizer must begin the task of agitating: rubbing resentments, fanning hostilities, and searching out controversy.
“I wasn’t on the Buckhead threads. What years were the Buckhead research happening? Was I registered on FR during that time period?” ( 2005-09-18 )
Here you go:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211788/posts
The Thread that broke the Camels Back:Post 47, and the Freepers who busted C.B.S.
Free Republic
Posted on Friday, September 10, 2004
My compilation of links:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211904/posts
60 Minutes to Infamy- those forged memos and The Shot Heard Round the World
various FR links | 09-10-04 | The Heavy Equipment Guy
Thanks.
Bookmarked.
With this administration, I wouldn’t put anything past them. It’s never a good idea to click on links. I rarely do. I prefer a link that I can copy and paste into my browser, if I choose to. A clickable link doesn’t give you that option.
We know we have the Gestapo in DC. Use an IP hider or proxy. It’s so easy and you can get ones that are high speed. They aren’t all slow like Tor.
Seen all of those techniques in use here.
Blasted deep cover federal agents! You’ll not take me alive!
bookmark
It apparently means "posting something I disagree with". At least that's how it's used most of the times I see the word used here....
"Reply trolls" wreck havoc...
Wait your turn! I still haven't gotten an assigned 'Elder.'
Are we readying for 2nd Civil War?
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