50 Cent Party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent_Party
China’s internet ‘spin doctors’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7783640.stm
How China’s ‘50 Cent Army’ Could Wreck Web 2.0
(Some estimates claim that the 50 Cent Army includes a whopping 300,000 people.)
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/article.php/3795091/How+Chinas+50+Cent+Army+Could+Wreck+Web+2.0.htm
China’s ‘50 Cent Party’ on marketing steroids: Internet hit men take astroturfing to new levels.
http://www.mercurybrief.com/2009/12/astroturfing-in-china/
The word-of-mouth marketing smear campaigns are designed to control major social media forums and manipulate public opinion, and can place hundreds of thousands of comments on thousands of news and discussion forums within a 48- or 72-hour period.
Greenwald was not always honest. He was a noted sock-puppet. See:
http://patterico.com/2006/07/27/annotated-wuzzadem-the-facts-behind-the-greenwald-sock-puppetry/
That said, I see this as leftist cannibalism, something to be enjoyed as spectators sport, and I am glad to see the Bushitler crowd turn on the newfascist Obama.
-- Just my not so humble opinion.
Cass Sunstein wants the government to "cognitively infiltrate" anti-government groups... Often mentioned as a likely Obama nominee to the Supreme Court, Sunstein is currently Obama's head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs where, among other things, he is responsible for "overseeing policies relating to privacy, information quality, and statistical programs." In 2008, while at Harvard Law School, Sunstein co-wrote a truly pernicious paper proposing that the U.S. Government employ teams of covert agents and pseudo-"independent" advocates to "cognitively infiltrate" online groups and websites -- as well as other activist groups -- which advocate views that Sunstein deems "false conspiracy theories" about the Government. This would be designed to increase citizens' faith in government officials and undermine the credibility of conspiracists... Sunstein advocates that the Government's stealth infiltration should be accomplished by sending covert agents into "chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups." He also proposes that the Government make secret payments to so-called "independent" credible voices to bolster the Government's messaging (on the ground that those who don't believe government sources will be more inclined to listen to those who appear independent while secretly acting on behalf of the Government).Thanks neverdem.
bmfl
Such groups need to decentralize into much smaller units or individuals. Hard to infiltrate an Army of One.
BUMP for 2012 campaign and new onslaught of trolls soon to arrive. Worth a read to refresh and be prepared.
PFL
Bump
The list, ping
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He is the perfect model of an Ayn Rand-type bad guy.