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On Tuesday, The Guardian posted an article about the US military pouring millions into researching how to become a Twitter-user-influencing, propaganda-spewing machine.
The program in question is known as Social Media in Strategic Communication (SMISC).
SMISC, which was announced in 2011, has been regarded as the means by which the US military can both detect and conduct propaganda campaigns via social media.
While DARPA's social media experiments well might have avoided breaking any law by using only publicly available data, some of its studies are sure to make people uncomfortable.
For example, some of the SMISC research has focused on the Occupy Wall Street protests and those in the Middle East, while other projects have analysed online memes and tweets from celebrities including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga (described as "the most popular elite user on Twitter", according to The Guardian.
The manager of SMISC, Dr. Rand Waltzman, said in a post that understanding social media is just part of DARPA's "mission of preventing strategic surprise."
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday July 11 2014, @05:37PM
I suggest a new rule, that AC's may not reply to ACs.
There is nothing more futile, and difficult to follow than ACs arguing with each other.
Maybe it is just one AC, trolling us all, like a ventriloquist simulating an argument among his dolls.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11 2014, @05:52PM
It's showing itself to be no better than slashdot here if a user asks for help like he's told to and doens't get it (article submitter here today on this article no less) http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2836&cid=67676 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by elf on Friday July 11 2014, @06:14PM
Then why don't you leave? For the majority of the time things work just fine here, if the site isn't for you then there is nothing making you stay. If you want to chat idea's about improving things then why not head to the IRC channel, venting in a post isn't really the right place to do it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11 2014, @07:27PM
Elf = an obvious sock puppet (whose? Laminator X the main douchebag's or what?). Of course they work fine for you, as his sock puppet. See here what the main douche is resisting which users here don't mind seeing http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2836&cid=67599 [soylentnews.org] why does the main douche here resist seeing who upmods or downmods others? It's done by sock puppets, like you obviously, elf!
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday July 11 2014, @08:05PM
I will truncheon you with the bright light of Freedom! Little known fact: all of Soylent News is actually one person using many sockpuppets, and you. Now surely you see why the down-modders cannot be revealed! Then the gig would be up, and the cat would be out of the bag! The fat lady would have sung, and the chickens come home to roost. But if you must know, I modded you down, which usually I do not do to AC's, but in your case it was just too ironic.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 12 2014, @05:51PM
Mods resisting the ability to confront a downmodder screams of sock puppet use on the part of the staff and users here by not allowing us to see who upmods or downmods us. Even registered users are telling you they don't mind that feature being put in as apk noted it http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2836&cid=67599 [soylentnews.org] so why resist it? We know why, I just said it, and it's so obvious! They won't answer how they would control sock puppets here either http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2836&threshold=0&commentsort=0&mode=improvedthreaded&pid=67588#67595 [soylentnews.org] since the only way to do it is to allow us to see patterns of downmod and upmod by particular accounts (and sock puppets are abused for that to no end on slashdot, so don't you think we know which end is up here too? Yes, we do. You're no better than /. here at all and are unwilling to change since it benefits you somehow, as in propogating an agenda of yours and using the downmod truncheon in lieu of conversation. Your mod staff still says apk's post is off topic here, how so? See here http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2813&cid=66810 [soylentnews.org] Tell us if it was off topic or not!Answer = it is not, and apk the article submitter here today wrote that, and it is on topic, no questions asked. He asked them to review it, as I have yourself, and he complained how nothing was done there and apk is on topic right from that posts' outset yet rated off topic with examples of female illogic all thru his replies.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11 2014, @06:45PM
Actually, I have no problem with ACs responding to ACs. Even if, as you suggest, it were one AC simulating an argument as if they were a ventriloquist I don't have so much problem with that as long as the discussion is interesting and informative. Who cares who is responding to whom, if lively debate is happening? The one problem I see with ACs is the troll who posts something incendiary which derails a good discussion. I am just not sure how to fix that problem, except perhaps completely eliminating ACs and requiring everyone who submits a comment to include their real name, address, and a (recent) picture. Even then, I am sure that the system would be easily gamed, I'm afraid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 12 2014, @05:45PM
Attempting to confuse the issue? Old troll trick. It's not working, idiot. Either that, or you have poor reading comprehension. Take your pick.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 13 2014, @12:02AM
Trying to confuse the issue? Old troll tactic. Learn to read then. It's easy to do. Except for a 10 below plantlife IQ bearing sock puppet like yourself.