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I'm one of the people who has had part of their identity used to submit false comments. Found out when a journalist emailed me asking me to do a survey and some

by hysan 9y ago

I'm one of the people who has had part of their identity used to submit false comments. Found out when a journalist emailed me asking me to do a survey and some additional comments months ago. I proceeded to sign up for an API key[1] to confirm what was being claimed and turns out, it was true. The API is a bit limited, but I was also able to do searches using the falsely submitted comment to find others like it as well as what looked like a lot of fake submissions. I already contacted all of my representatives to investigate this, but with the approaching FCC vote and now this AG Open Letter, I fear that nothing will happen until it's too late. What is a citizen to do when they try to do everything in their power and play by the rules - vote, submit comments, call representatives, contact press for help, and repeat - results in nothing? The FCC has effectively ignored the rules and stalled their way to victory. I'm not even sure how to describe our government anymore... [1] https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/public-api-docs.html https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/public-api-docs.html

jryan49 9y ago
One thing we could do is have everyone go in on a lobbyist. haha
- smellf 9y ago
  Donate the the EFF, it's basically the same thing as you're suggesting except that the organizational structure is already in place.
ghrifter 9y ago
The FCC has effectively ignored the rules and stalled their way to victory. Nawh, they are following the power delegation given to them by congress. They dont have to do fuck all for public comments, other then recieve them, document them, and say "we got feedback but fuck yall we going forward"
- jedberg 9y ago
  > They dont have to do fuck all for public comments That's not true. As a nonpartisan federal agency, the must show how they accounted for public comment and why the choice they made is either in line with the public comments or why it is justified to not be in line. They have to do more than just accept the comments. But by allowing all the fake comments, they were able to say "see everyone wants this, what we are doing is in line with the public comments".
  - Azkar 9y ago
    > They have to do more than just accept the comments. Or what? There's no one enforcing rules in this administration.
    - jedberg 9y ago
      That's what the judicial branch is for. They have to pass the crappy rules first so that someone who was harmed can sue them. Congress can stop them now, and the judicial can stop them after the fact. Congress is corrupt, but thus far the judicial is not.
      - jessaustin 9y ago
        The corruption of the judicial branch is more obvious to its victims than it is to the average citizen, but it does quite a bit more direct harm than Congress does. For example, the courts that fund their municipalities on the backs of the poor, all the shady arrangements with the incarceration industry, the seemingly deliberate destruction of families and children perpetrated by the divorce courts, the horrific excess of the Drug War, etc. Still, the courts might help in this case.
        null000 9y ago
        Pretty sure the most of what you're talking about is the executive branch. They're in charge of enforcing the rules - e.g. deciding who to prosecute for drug crimes and which prisons to put them in to serve their term. Likewise, the executive branch is the one that decides to go after offenders based on profitability over public good (although you could also lay that on the legislative branch for allowing the executive to fund itself using fines in the first place).
fencepost 9y ago
If you have the time and money for something unlikely to get results for you specifically you could always try suing the person or persons impersonating you in filling documents with the federal government, then subpoena the only known party (FCC) to have information capable of helping to identify that party. Not sure how much good it would do though.
vvanders 9y ago
Is it worth contacting your local news station? May be a long shot but the more people know about what's actually happening then the more pressure they can put on their congress critter to do something.
- djcrayon 9y ago
  Only if it isn't a Sinclair Media station...
paul7986 9y ago
I believe that there are a lot of fake comments(possibly threads) appearing on Hacker News. I'm sure on Reddit and everywhere on the Internet that influences peoples' oomph to stand up for something like Net Neutrality. I mean why in the world in 2017 are we so apathetic about something so important? We were up in arms about in 2013 and stopped SOPA then!!!
- paul7986 9y ago
  We need some type of identifying online tool like that blockchain ID tool to proliferate. It would ensure who you say you are on the Internet. YOu could still comment anonymously, but what you say anonymously wouldn't hold as much weight vs. when you use your real verified identity!
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- null000 9y ago
  Apathetic? Have you seen Reddit today or yesterday? The top post in 90% of subreddits are pro-net-neutrality posts, even where it makes no sense. I can't think of a time when that much of a stink was made, including SOPA. The reason it's not working this time around is because you have an FCC chair whose not really interested in what the public thinks - you're not his constituents, and you're not the constituents of the people who put him in power. Note that the constituents of Republicans are honestly mostly wealthy donors by this point - I doubt they care too much what their voters think beyond ensuring that they don't screw them over directly (e.g. via increased taxes or decreased entitlements)
  - paul7986 9y ago
    Well there was a ton more action happening on Hacker News in 2013 then present day. Glad to hear Reddit isnt being passive!
  - maccard 9y ago
    I’ve seen reddit, but ultimately that means nothing. Posting a comment on a forum (even reddit or hn) is in itself meaningless. It’s oretty much the definitio or apathetic.
gibybo 9y ago
>when they try to do everything in their power and play by the rules Playing by the rules is not always the best way to serve the public interest.
cryoshon 9y ago
>What is a citizen to do when they try to do everything in their power and play by the rules - vote, submit comments, call representatives, contact press for help, and repeat - results in nothing? you already know the answer, you are just afraid to say it. stop playing by the rules. arm yourself and your allies. then send a clear signal that there will be blood if your political demands are not met. >I'm not even sure how to describe our government anymore... the word is post-democratic or perhaps, totalitarian democratic.
- Karunamon 9y ago
  I, for one, am glad to live in a world where people don't start shedding blood over internet regulations.
- sctb 9y ago
  Haven't we already asked you to please not abuse HN with political battle? That's not at all what we're here for, so please stop. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

by hysan 9y ago

jryan49 9y ago

One thing we could do is have everyone go in on a lobbyist. haha

smellf 9y ago
Donate the the EFF, it's basically the same thing as you're suggesting except that the organizational structure is already in place.

ghrifter 9y ago

The FCC has effectively ignored the rules and stalled their way to victory. Nawh, they are following the power delegation given to them by congress. They dont have to do fuck all for public comments, other then recieve them, document them, and say "we got feedback but fuck yall we going forward"

jedberg 9y ago
> They dont have to do fuck all for public comments That's not true. As a nonpartisan federal agency, the must show how they accounted for public comment and why the choice they made is either in line with the public comments or why it is justified to not be in line. They have to do more than just accept the comments. But by allowing all the fake comments, they were able to say "see everyone wants this, what we are doing is in line with the public comments".
- Azkar 9y ago
  > They have to do more than just accept the comments. Or what? There's no one enforcing rules in this administration.
  - jedberg 9y ago
    That's what the judicial branch is for. They have to pass the crappy rules first so that someone who was harmed can sue them. Congress can stop them now, and the judicial can stop them after the fact. Congress is corrupt, but thus far the judicial is not.
    - jessaustin 9y ago
      The corruption of the judicial branch is more obvious to its victims than it is to the average citizen, but it does quite a bit more direct harm than Congress does. For example, the courts that fund their municipalities on the backs of the poor, all the shady arrangements with the incarceration industry, the seemingly deliberate destruction of families and children perpetrated by the divorce courts, the horrific excess of the Drug War, etc. Still, the courts might help in this case.
      - null000 9y ago
        Pretty sure the most of what you're talking about is the executive branch. They're in charge of enforcing the rules - e.g. deciding who to prosecute for drug crimes and which prisons to put them in to serve their term. Likewise, the executive branch is the one that decides to go after offenders based on profitability over public good (although you could also lay that on the legislative branch for allowing the executive to fund itself using fines in the first place).

fencepost 9y ago

If you have the time and money for something unlikely to get results for you specifically you could always try suing the person or persons impersonating you in filling documents with the federal government, then subpoena the only known party (FCC) to have information capable of helping to identify that party. Not sure how much good it would do though.

vvanders 9y ago

Is it worth contacting your local news station? May be a long shot but the more people know about what's actually happening then the more pressure they can put on their congress critter to do something.

djcrayon 9y ago
Only if it isn't a Sinclair Media station...

paul7986 9y ago

I believe that there are a lot of fake comments(possibly threads) appearing on Hacker News. I'm sure on Reddit and everywhere on the Internet that influences peoples' oomph to stand up for something like Net Neutrality. I mean why in the world in 2017 are we so apathetic about something so important? We were up in arms about in 2013 and stopped SOPA then!!!

paul7986 9y ago
We need some type of identifying online tool like that blockchain ID tool to proliferate. It would ensure who you say you are on the Internet. YOu could still comment anonymously, but what you say anonymously wouldn't hold as much weight vs. when you use your real verified identity!
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
null000 9y ago
Apathetic? Have you seen Reddit today or yesterday? The top post in 90% of subreddits are pro-net-neutrality posts, even where it makes no sense. I can't think of a time when that much of a stink was made, including SOPA. The reason it's not working this time around is because you have an FCC chair whose not really interested in what the public thinks - you're not his constituents, and you're not the constituents of the people who put him in power. Note that the constituents of Republicans are honestly mostly wealthy donors by this point - I doubt they care too much what their voters think beyond ensuring that they don't screw them over directly (e.g. via increased taxes or decreased entitlements)
- paul7986 9y ago
  Well there was a ton more action happening on Hacker News in 2013 then present day. Glad to hear Reddit isnt being passive!
- maccard 9y ago
  I’ve seen reddit, but ultimately that means nothing. Posting a comment on a forum (even reddit or hn) is in itself meaningless. It’s oretty much the definitio or apathetic.

gibybo 9y ago

>when they try to do everything in their power and play by the rules Playing by the rules is not always the best way to serve the public interest.

cryoshon 9y ago

>What is a citizen to do when they try to do everything in their power and play by the rules - vote, submit comments, call representatives, contact press for help, and repeat - results in nothing? you already know the answer, you are just afraid to say it. stop playing by the rules. arm yourself and your allies. then send a clear signal that there will be blood if your political demands are not met. >I'm not even sure how to describe our government anymore... the word is post-democratic or perhaps, totalitarian democratic.

Karunamon 9y ago
I, for one, am glad to live in a world where people don't start shedding blood over internet regulations.
sctb 9y ago
Haven't we already asked you to please not abuse HN with political battle? That's not at all what we're here for, so please stop. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html