Conspiracy Theory Is True: Agents Infiltrate Websites Intending To “Manipulate, Deceive, And Destroy Reputations” » WTF RLY REPORT
In the annals of internet conspiracy theories, none is more pervasive
than the one speculating paid government plants infiltrate websites,
social network sites, and comment sections with an intent to sow
discord, troll, and generally manipulate, deceive and destroy
reputations. Guess what: it was all true.
And this time we have a pretty slideshow of formerly confidential
data prepared by the UK NSA equivalent, the GCHQ, to confirm it, and
Edward Snowden to thank for disclosing it.
The messenger in this case is
Glenn Greenwald, who has released the data in an article in his new
website, firstlook.org, which he summarizes as follows:
“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.” Call it Stasi for “Generation Internet.”
In the annals of internet conspiracy theories, none is more pervasive
than the one speculating paid government plants infiltrate websites,
social network sites, and comment sections with an intent to sow
discord, troll, and generally manipulate, deceive and destroy
reputations. Guess what: it was all true.
And this time we have a pretty slideshow of formerly confidential
data prepared by the UK NSA equivalent, the GCHQ, to confirm it, and
Edward Snowden to thank for disclosing it.
The messenger in this case is
Glenn Greenwald, who has released the data in an article in his new
website, firstlook.org, which he summarizes as follows:
“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.” Call it Stasi for “Generation Internet.”
