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The key question you have to ask yourself: If I was a bad actor, how would I take advantage of this? Sockpuppets.

by flir 5y ago

ibejoeb 5y ago
As I understand it, every message needs a counter-message. A sock puppet wouldn't be able to advance a thread unless the principal user engages with the sock puppet also. Right?
- flir 5y ago
  If I'm reading the design correctly (and I might not be), "counter-message" means "parent message". So puppet1 goes in with the reasonable response, and puppet2 replies to that with the unreasonable response, and we're off to the races. (I emphasize I could have the wrong end of the stick about the design).
  - ibejoeb 5y ago
    not clear to me either, but yeah if it's just about an initial response to OP, I see how that could go down
tshaddox 5y ago
Obviously having multiple accounts can aid in some trolling efforts, but I think most trolls aren't happy merely trolling themselves on threads that other people might later see or participate in.
- quitit 5y ago
  Exactly, possibly the main function of troll farms is to attack opposing voices, usually to drive them from the platform entirely by overwhelming them. Creating their own echo chamber doesn’t have the desired effect. This new service is like a public version of direct messaging on instagram/facebook/similar, which all use a similar blocked-until accepted approach.
  - flir 5y ago
    I believe that a proportion of trolls (for want of a better word) are targeting anyone with an audience. They're not trying to convince that person, they're using them as a stepping stone to reach their audience. If they can get 1 person in 1000 on to the "d0 yOuR r3se4rch" youtube train... well eventually you end up with antivaxx. Or flat earth.
- jancsika 5y ago
  There's a whole subgenre of "everyone clapped" fake posts that have littered a lot of the history of Reddit. They seem to have been written in exactly that "might see later" spirit. It's probably trivial to gain a mere two accounts on this service to post a fake conversation of two sockpuppets attempting to "outwoke" each other. You can probably already see the arc of such a fake post in your mind.
  - flir 5y ago
    There's a fair bit of "false flag wokeness" floating around already.

The key question you have to ask yourself: If I was a bad actor, how would I take advantage of this? Sockpuppets.

by flir 5y ago

The key question you have to ask yourself: If I was a bad actor, how would I take advantage of this? Sockpuppets.

As I understand it, every message needs a counter-message. A sock puppet wouldn't be able to advance a thread unless the principal user engages with the sock puppet also. Right?

flir 5y ago
If I'm reading the design correctly (and I might not be), "counter-message" means "parent message". So puppet1 goes in with the reasonable response, and puppet2 replies to that with the unreasonable response, and we're off to the races. (I emphasize I could have the wrong end of the stick about the design).
- ibejoeb 5y ago
  not clear to me either, but yeah if it's just about an initial response to OP, I see how that could go down

tshaddox 5y ago

Obviously having multiple accounts can aid in some trolling efforts, but I think most trolls aren't happy merely trolling themselves on threads that other people might later see or participate in.

quitit 5y ago
Exactly, possibly the main function of troll farms is to attack opposing voices, usually to drive them from the platform entirely by overwhelming them. Creating their own echo chamber doesn’t have the desired effect. This new service is like a public version of direct messaging on instagram/facebook/similar, which all use a similar blocked-until accepted approach.
- flir 5y ago
  I believe that a proportion of trolls (for want of a better word) are targeting anyone with an audience. They're not trying to convince that person, they're using them as a stepping stone to reach their audience. If they can get 1 person in 1000 on to the "d0 yOuR r3se4rch" youtube train... well eventually you end up with antivaxx. Or flat earth.
jancsika 5y ago
There's a whole subgenre of "everyone clapped" fake posts that have littered a lot of the history of Reddit. They seem to have been written in exactly that "might see later" spirit. It's probably trivial to gain a mere two accounts on this service to post a fake conversation of two sockpuppets attempting to "outwoke" each other. You can probably already see the arc of such a fake post in your mind.
- flir 5y ago
  There's a fair bit of "false flag wokeness" floating around already.