A controversial program initiated by the U.S. military creates online “puppet identities” to manipulate conversations on social networks and blogs.
A California-based company, Ntrepid, was awarded a contract that would put U.S. service men and women in charge of secret online identities, according to the Guardian. Each service person is tasked with creating undercover identities, counterfeit avatars, who would participate in digital social-espionage, partaking in forum threads, blog conversations, and social media posts. Ntrepid’s software is capable of putting each individual in charge of 10 fake online-identities that appear to be located in various spots around the globe. They would use the personas to pose as members in the terrorist organizations, collect data, divert potential attacks, and covertly inject pro-U.S. propaganda into the online social spheres of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda.
The initiative is part of a $200 million program called Operation Earnest Voice (OEV), which charges US Central Command (Centcom) with countering terrorist planning, dialogue, and recruitment through online interventionist tactics. Centcom’s Ntrepid contract oversees up to 50 controllers who in turn oversee their own fake identities. Each one will have a believable background to dupe fact checkers.
OEV is not without its controversy. The Guardian, for example, writes:
“The project has been likened by web experts to China’s attempts to control and restrict free speech on the internet. Critics are likely to complain that it will allow the US military to create a false consensus in online conversations, crowd out unwelcome opinions and smother commentaries or reports that do not correspond with its own objectives.”
Notably, it is illegal for OEV to use such veiled personages in the English language. Instead, the so-called “sock puppets” will draft posts and comments in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto. These languages are employed by Jihadists across Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
On one hand, the shadowy nature of this particular contract makes it ripe for corruption. On the other, engaging terrorist networks to change hearts and minds online seems preferable to unleashing the fury of drones.
