4 ms·

I wonder if there are reputation protection companies that try a different strategy: for every user that requests their service, prop up thousands of fake ident

I wonder if there are reputation protection companies that try a different strategy: for every user that requests their service, prop up thousands of fake identities with the user's name, but each with some inconsistent profile that are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the original user. So if someone search for a person, their search results would be flooded with garbage. Since it seems very difficult to try to get a leaked identity removed, maybe try to hide a tree in the forest?

runjake 3y ago
Reputation management companies do this. It’s normally referred to as “disinformation”.
sangnoir 3y ago
The former British prime minister executed a similar technique to hide his scandal by releasing search-engine chaff. He had a press interview where he claimed one of his hobbies was painting miniature red buses, and the scandal he was hiding was false and distateful ads on a (real) red bus as part of a campaign for Brexit.
- Terr_ 3y ago
  TIL: > For example, the disaster surrounding London’s new Routemaster city buses disappeared into the depths of the web after Johnson made completely nonsensical statements in the media about building model buses from wine crates. Coverage of these statements triggered a flood of search queries on Google that displaced negative search queries and Google Suggest results related to Boris Johnson. > Research showed that before the wine crate buses interview, 100% of Google Suggest and search results on page one that were displayed in connection with Boris Johnson had negative connotations. After the interview, it was only 20%. > Additionally, when news broke that British Government members had flouted Covid guidelines to meet for wine and cheese during a ‘work meeting’, it was seized upon by the British press as “partygate.” Soon after, Johnson was quoted in interview saying, “I don’t work from home. The cheese will distract you.” As a result, negative coverage of the British Government’s party-gate incidents were glossed over by search suggestions and results, and keywords with negative connotations no longer appeared in Google Suggest prompts. Source: https://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/cheese-wine-and-whistles-manipulating-google-for-fun-and-profit-with-elon-musk-and-boris-johnson/ https://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/cheese-wine-and-whistles-m...
  - zarzavat 3y ago
    He is a well known proponent of the technique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_strategy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_strategy > There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, ‘Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!’ In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief. - Boris Johnson
    - mr_toad 3y ago
      Seems like a variation of starting a war to distract from domestic issues.
      - Terr_ 3y ago
        "Wag the Dead Cat?" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_Dog)
- geraldhh 3y ago
  almost as if the public appreciated the diversion

runjake 3y ago

Reputation management companies do this. It’s normally referred to as “disinformation”.

sangnoir 3y ago

The former British prime minister executed a similar technique to hide his scandal by releasing search-engine chaff. He had a press interview where he claimed one of his hobbies was painting miniature red buses, and the scandal he was hiding was false and distateful ads on a (real) red bus as part of a campaign for Brexit.

Terr_ 3y ago
TIL: > For example, the disaster surrounding London’s new Routemaster city buses disappeared into the depths of the web after Johnson made completely nonsensical statements in the media about building model buses from wine crates. Coverage of these statements triggered a flood of search queries on Google that displaced negative search queries and Google Suggest results related to Boris Johnson. > Research showed that before the wine crate buses interview, 100% of Google Suggest and search results on page one that were displayed in connection with Boris Johnson had negative connotations. After the interview, it was only 20%. > Additionally, when news broke that British Government members had flouted Covid guidelines to meet for wine and cheese during a ‘work meeting’, it was seized upon by the British press as “partygate.” Soon after, Johnson was quoted in interview saying, “I don’t work from home. The cheese will distract you.” As a result, negative coverage of the British Government’s party-gate incidents were glossed over by search suggestions and results, and keywords with negative connotations no longer appeared in Google Suggest prompts. Source: https://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/cheese-wine-and-whistles-manipulating-google-for-fun-and-profit-with-elon-musk-and-boris-johnson/ https://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/cheese-wine-and-whistles-m...
- zarzavat 3y ago
  He is a well known proponent of the technique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_strategy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_strategy > There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, ‘Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!’ In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief. - Boris Johnson
  - mr_toad 3y ago
    Seems like a variation of starting a war to distract from domestic issues.
    - Terr_ 3y ago
      "Wag the Dead Cat?" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_Dog)
geraldhh 3y ago
almost as if the public appreciated the diversion