Forum Home > Non-Gaming > Technology and Science > Astro-turfing?
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shift944
Board Admin
Posts: 475
Astro-turfing?
Posted: Nov 18, 2011, 17:18:16
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Anybody heard about it?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/feb/23/need-to-protect-internet-from-astroturfing

This has evidently been around some time I guess, I'm afraid to imagine what it's extent is now, several months later after that article was published. In a nutshell, the story describes corporations using mass fake/autonomous internet accounts in order to convey their own representation (usually biased, or unfavorable) of a company/brand or any sort of publicly based service or civic organization.

Quite frightening to think that humans votes and opinions may be swayed and influenced by non-existant people, especially in this day and age when people can become so misinformed even without external persuasion.

So... anybody here a corporate robot?

cpnichol
Board Admin
Posts: 5684
Re: Astro-turfing?
Posted: Nov 22, 2011, 18:26:04
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I heard the term years ago describing certain groups that appeared to be normal people getting together to express their opinion on certain issues. Turns out they were funded by corporations.

I think it was tobacco and oil companies that got caught doing it. It doesn't surprise me that it's now gone in a slightly different direction that makes it harder to discover who is behind it.

For a while now I've been slightly confused by the apparent popularity of certain comments on Yahoo news stories. Essentially any story relating to anything that the government might spend money on has had a significant number of anti immigrant, anti EU and anti the UK's foreign aid budget (controversial because it is the only thing that the government has not cut) comments. They all get lots of thumbs up despite being nothing to do with the actual story.

Story about the UK Occupy movement "never mind the banks why are we giving so much money to foreigners". Usually in caps with terrible spelling. Story about a dead baby, comments about foreign aid budget. Story about how many old people die in a harsh winter, comments about foreign aid budget.

All of these comments get near the top of the replies due to the number of thumbs up they get. So I look at the people making the comments and while I don't get a full history of their comments they do appear to up vote almost everything that has similar content.

Just so you know the Guardian is considered a left wing paper here, so would be beyond communist to the right in the US.

XTR3M3
Member
Posts: 2602
Re: Astro-turfing?
Posted: Dec 1, 2011, 12:23:36
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both sides do this kind of thing. once an exploit like this is exposed, they have to use it whether it is ethical or not or they fall behind. some of them might think it is fighting fire with fire so that makes it OK. I think it is like "going to the darkside of the force" to try and save the light. How did that work out for Anakin Skywalker? sure you gain extra power, but you lose your integrity and marginalize your political stance. the best way to combat this is to attempt to expose when people/companies/organizations are doing this.

I know websites that don't allow multiple accounts that can be used for trolling purposes and/or endorsing your own mods with a separate account. It is too bad that isn't easier to do in the blogosphere.
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Forum Home > Non-Gaming > Technology and Science > Astro-turfing?