How Covert Agents Infiltrate The Internet To Manipulate, Deceive, And Destroy Reputations

oathkeepers.org via FirstLook.org ^ | Feb 26, 2014 | Glenn Greenwald

[Sheapdog]

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This article comes from FirstLook.org

by Glenn Greenwald

A page from a GCHQ top secret document prepared by its secretive JTRIG unit

One of the many pressing stories that remains to be told from the Snowden archive is how western intelligence agencies are attempting to manipulate and control online discourse with extreme tactics of deception and reputation-destruction. It’s time to tell a chunk of that story, complete with the relevant documents.

Over the last several weeks, I worked with NBC News to publish a series of articles about “dirty trick” tactics used by GCHQ’s previously secret unit, JTRIG (Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group). These were based on four classified GCHQ documents presented to the NSA and the other three partners in the English-speaking “Five Eyes” alliance. Today, we at the Intercept are publishing another new JTRIG document, in full, entitled “The Art of Deception: Training for Online Covert Operations.”

By publishing these stories one by one, our NBC reporting highlighted some of the key, discrete revelations: the monitoring of YouTube and Blogger, the targeting of Anonymous with the very same DDoS attacks they accuse “hacktivists” of using, the use of “honey traps” (luring people into compromising situations using sex) and destructive viruses. But, here, I want to focus and elaborate on the overarching point revealed by all of these documents: namely, that these agencies are attempting to control, infiltrate, manipulate, and warp online discourse, and in doing so, are compromising the integrity of the internet itself.

Among the core self-identified purposes of JTRIG are two tactics: (1) to inject all sorts of false material onto the internet in order to destroy the reputation of its targets; and (2) to use social sciences and other techniques to manipulate online discourse and activism to generate outcomes it considers desirable. To see how extremist these programs are, just consider the tactics they boast of using to achieve those ends: “false flag operations” (posting material to the internet and falsely attributing it to someone else), fake victim blog posts (pretending to be a victim of the individual whose reputation they want to destroy), and posting “negative information” on various forums. Here is one illustrative list of tactics from the latest GCHQ document we’re publishing today:

Other tactics aimed at individuals are listed here, under the revealing title “discredit a target”:

Read more here.

[BreezyDog]

While I don’t disagree with the message this stuff is crap.

[Red Steel]

I hear the clowns on CNN have that covered 24/7. Every silly theory including alien abduction to explain the missing Indonesian airline. Hehee...

[griswold3]

Expropriate the expropriators
The expropriation of the expropriators is lawful, since the sizable property of the exploiting class was accumulated by robbing and mercilessly exploiting the working masses. Therefore, depriving the exploiters of their property is a legitimate and justified act. The working people thereby regain the wealth that they created, that is rightfully theirs, and that was taken from them by force.

[Excellence]

Supposidly from somone at Oathkeepers. Infowars has a link to a PDF. I went there and all I saw were plans for a tabletop workup of another big Alaska earthquake. (I think today is the anniversary of the Big One.)

[Red Steel]

While I don’t disagree with the message this stuff is crap.

I don't doubt it was written. If you find the author of this "crap" you'll find that Obama groupie smoking Colorado weed.

[Sheapdog]

I heard about this story the other day and went to find it on infowars and it was already scrubbed. It was gone from Drudge also. What that means I leave to speculation. Just because some of infowars and Jones perspectives are controversial and amateurish doesn’t mean there isn’t value in their perspectives. I personally believe most of Robert Welch’s and the John Birch Society’s views and analysis are proving themselves to be closer to the truth than anyone would have ever conceded until recently. Unfortunately a person has to do a lot of their own research and dig through primary sources and secondary sources that are hard to locate to be convinced of some of unpopular or minority views that seem like bs fantasy to those who only accept establishment sources as valid.

[MileHi]

Real?

[TADSLOS]

Welcome back.

[Zeneta]

Whaaat? You can’t even trust your own people must tell you something. So what delusional appointed OBot wrote this? LoL.

---

Someone not only dreamed this and wrote it. They advanced it and may have needed to defend it. In the end, it was approved (by who?) and allowed to be the theme of this exercise.

Who are these people? and what allows them to think this is fair game for what is supposed to be a DHS threat exercise ?

Since when did DHS get a mandate to go to war against Americans ?

Is the DHS bound to our Government or our Constitution?

When did the Government become our Constitution?

Our Constitution is as anti-Government as it gets.

[sport]

Everyone could see that coming. Some were/are in denial. Others refuse to believe it. But, as sure as Monday follows Sunday, it is coming. it does not matter whether you believe it or whether you don’t believe it.

[smokingfrog]

http://www.slideshare.net/BrianClaytonCharles/dhs-fema-national-exercise-program-capstone-exercise-2014-scenario-ground-truth-32824528

[Born to Conserve]

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

[1_Rain_Drop]

Why is the present article so different from the one originally posted?

[AlexW]

“I dare call it treason!”
___________________________________________
I gather your play on words refers to the 1960s book, None Dare Call it Treason.
America needs a new version of the book.

[tbw2]

Which John Birch Society’s views are proving correct?

[Sheapdog]

I think the moderator is hinting that due to the dubious nature of the source it might in fact be part of a disinformation campaign to poison the well so to speak.
I find that people here are able to sort through the BS but we don’t want to exacerbate the problem or get a bad reputation. Maybe the manipulation and disinformation is the filtering and denunciation of unacceptable stories that pertain to truths that are not meant for general public consumption at this time. Whatever, I’d rather have it out there than censored and let the chips fall. See my tagline.

[Sheapdog]

Okay, that could be a long response and I’m tired of typing as I’ve spent too much time already on this site. Not to brush you off but I’ll get back to you with a response that does justice to your question in a day or two when I have some time.

sincerely

[NoCmpromiz]

Alex Jones established himself as a kook years ago with his NASA faked the moon landing/911 truther/it's those Zionists stuff. Unfortunately some of his stuff could be true but since he has positioned himself in the kook fringe, I typically wait for a more reliable source.

The problem with that could be that now that he is a certifiable kook, just maybe he is being leaked stuff and no one will believe him now... ;-)

That scenario is certainly within realms of reality! With this bunch of commie anti-Americans in office anything is possible.

[NoCmpromiz]

Don’t know it that was clear... Infowars, Prison Planet, Alex Jones Youtube — they’re all Alex Jones...

[Nifster]

like boy scouts it is good to be prepared ;)