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TechDirt reports
Last year, you'll recall that somebody abused the nonexistent privacy protections at the FCC website to flood the net neutrality repeal proceeding with millions of fake comments. While the vast majority of real people oppose the repeal, a bad actor was able to either fraudulently use the identities of real people (like myself), or hijack the identities of dead people to spam the proceeding with bogus support. The goal: undermine public trust in the public comment period in order to downplay the massive opposition to the FCC's handout to AT&T and Comcast.
Up to this point, the FCC has done less than nothing to investigate the fraud or prevent it from happening again, largely because it aided the FCC's agenda. In fact, the FCC went so far as to block a law enforcement investigation into who was behind the fraud.
Hoping to pull the scandal back onto a front burner, Senators Jeff Merkley and Pat Toomey this week sent a letter to the FCC stating that they've discovered that their names were also used to post fake comments during the repeal. The two demanded the FCC implement some kind of CAPTCHA system to help police automated bogus comments (a bot seems to have posted millions of bogus comments in alphabetical order), and asked what the agency was doing to prevent the problem from occurring again:
"Late last year, the identities of as many as two million Americans were stolen and used to file fake comments during the FCC's comment period for the net neutrality rule," the letter to Pai, dated May 21, read.
"We were among those whose identities were misused to express viewpoints we do not hold. We are writing to express our concerns about these fake comments and the need to identify and address fraudulent behavior in the rulemaking process."
The letter comes more than a year after alarms were first sounded over the tsunami of seemingly faked comments submitted by "astroturfing" campaigns to sway the commission's opinion. Many of the comments were put up in the name of actual people without their knowledge or permission.
Ultimately, about 22 million messages were submitted, and while three in five were in favor of net neutrality, once duplicates and those with garbage email addresses were tossed out, the overall sentiment was against net neutrality. About 17 per cent of the total, though, were likely filed by real people logging into the FCC's website rather than through the watchdog's API designed for accepting submissions via third-party applications and websites. It is suspected someone, or some people, abused this gateway using automated software to cram the regulator with millions of bogus submissions.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Thursday May 24 2018, @10:08PM (3 children)
because you suported the FCC. We know, we can see you name on the submissions!
This is entirely consistent with the fraudulently signed loan documents that the banks tried to argue were valid, because they had signatures..
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 24 2018, @10:17PM (1 child)
It was a sacred place, devoid of both sound and strife. So tranquil was it that even animals seemed to stay clear of it, despite its location. This place was a temple, and several dozen men were gathered in front of its steps; every single one of them appeared visibly nervous.
He had not yet shown His face to these hopeful men, which shook them even more. The men had trekked through the mountains and forests and braved many dangers to be here; they were that determined to meet just one person. Indeed, the being who resided here - known simply as The Master - was truly that great of an individual; even calling him 'divine' would be an understatement. Just as the men were about to give up all hope of meeting this great person, a single figure emerged from the depths of the temple. That figure was The Master.
His mere presence was enough to overwhelm all of the men present, and even cause some of them to fall unconscious; such was his power. The Master spoke simply, "Let us begin." Yes, it was finally time for The Master to look for promising pupils so that he could teach them The Way. However, this was not so simple; over the years, several thousand people had shown up to this temple with the hope of becoming The Master's students, and all of them had been turned away for possessing no potential. Thus, hearing Him say that He would begin The Culling made all of the men present feel a pressure greater than any they have ever experienced. Then, without regard to the men's feelings, the process began.
No one. After The Culling, There was no one left at the temple besides The Master. All of the men had been turned away. No, there was a single man left; his name was Brendonham. The Master spoke to Brendonham, "You are the only one with potential. However, I must offer this warning: In order to master my arts, you must endure grueling training beyond anything you can imagine and be prepared for the possibility that you will fail and gain nothing. Are you prepared?" Sweat dripped off of Brendonham like a waterfall. Still, despite his immense anxiety, the man managed to speak, "I... am prepared." The training began.
Several months of soul-crushing training, and then a year to demonstrate to The Master whether or not the training had worked; that was how this process went. It had been one and a half years since the training began, and it was time for Brendonham to show The Master the fruits of his labor. In truth, The Master had told Brendonham that he would likely need to go through the training countless times to even have a real chance at success. If this was the case, why was Brendonham - who was previously a weak and pitiful little man - exerting an aura of absolute strength and confidence? Was he simply overconfident, or was there some basis for his feelings? The Master slid open the door to the room that contained the results of Brendonham's labor.
"...!" The Master's eyes became as wide as circles and then exclaimed, "Impossible! Have you reached The Realm of Cloud and Water!?" The Master, a sage who possessed unfathomable wisdom, was shocked. What sort of image could render such an amazing person speechless? Husks. Shadows. Shells.
They bore no resemblance to their former selves; they were bruised, as if they had been savagely beaten; they were naked, as if they had been violated repeatedly; they were covered in fresh and dried blood, as if they had been stabbed many times; they were deformed, as if most of their bones had been broken and healed back improperly. The many women and children in the room were alive in name only, and it was all because of Brendonham.
In order to master The Way, one had to possess an unshakable, unfaltering belief in men's rights that exceeded fanaticism. The scene before the two men proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brendonham possessed such an unwavering belief. The Master spoke in disbelief, "This... impossible! To think that you would master The Way after only several months of training. In so little time, you have already far surpassed me! You truly are The One!" In response, Brendonham offered The Master his gratitude for instructing him.
Brendonham was truly grateful. Now that he had mastered The Way, the fragility of women and children would no longer pose a problem for Brendonham; he could break their bones; he could stab them; he could beat them; he could strangle them; he could violate them; he could torture them; and he could mutilate them. Brendonham could do all of these things to women and children, and yet, because of his mastery of The Way, they would remain alive even after enduring everything; it was as though some supernatural force was sustaining their lives, just so Brendonham could play with them longer. Yes, Brendonham was immensely grateful.
On that day, a new Master was born. On that day, Brendonham's future became as bright as the sun. It was a future filled with hope. It was a future filled with happiness. It was a future... filled with toys.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 25 2018, @12:28AM
Seriously, go post on the FCC web site instead. Then they will HAVE to find a way to block spammers.
(Score: 1) by mr_bad_influence on Thursday May 24 2018, @11:19PM
Agreed. Not bogus, not fake. Since these comments were not submitted by the claimed authors, someone should be held accountable for what this is - fraud, forgery, or identity theft.
Mr_Bad