8 ms·

I'm not saying it is or isn't, but... >However, it was too fast to be part of a coordinated campaign Being able to act fast doesn't mean something isn't coord

by iotku 8y ago

I'm not saying it is or isn't, but... >However, it was too fast to be part of a coordinated campaign Being able to act fast doesn't mean something isn't coordinated does it? If I had an army of bots designed to reduce exposure or otherwise AstroTurf a topic I could put them into action as fast (potentially more suspicious) or slow as I wanted (would seem more natural).

devereaux 8y ago
You have a great point. It is highly likely that many topics are astroturfed on many websites, but I would think HN is too small and too specific of a target to be of any interest to pharmaceutical companies. However, if they use a subcontractor, it could certainly "cover" HN among its astroturfing portfolio, especially if it frequently does jobs for tech companies. Some stories I read in the new section when I'm taking a break have very suspicious rises, compared to identical stories of about the same technical topic. Also, it feels funny to see the same story again the next day, as if it was "tried" but with different parameters until it catches up. Without further evidence, it is just suspicious. I hope that YC has a commercial interest in keeping the site clean from astroturfing.