The U.S. Military hired a California company to create software that allows one person to control up to 10 different and sophisticated fake online personas.

The Guardian reported today that United States Central Command (Centcom) doesn't plan to use the program domestically. Instead, the paper reports quoting Bill Speaks, Centcom spokesman, the military wants to use it in the Middle East and Asia to "counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda outside the US."

The Guardian adds:

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.

...

The Centcom contract stipulates that each fake online persona must have a convincing background, history and supporting details, and that up to 50 US-based controllers should be able to operate false identities from their workstations "without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries".
In a separate piece at the Guardian, Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do?, called the whole scheme "appallingly stupid." He adds:

"The net result of that will be the diminution, not the enhancement, of American credibility.

"But the effort is amusing as well, for there is absolutely no need to spend millions of dollars to create fake identities online."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/03/17/134631649/report-u-s-creates-fake-online-identities-to-counter-enemy-propaganda

When they play Big Brother in other countries, what is to stop them from being Big Brother at home?

Cue spooky music!

Ooooooo Oooooooooo Oooooo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA

This is something new?

Point is that everyone just accepts it. They may not like it, but they sure don't fight it when it happens to them. And that's a problem.

I've listened to a number of people say how their grandfather's are telling them that the new generation HAS to turn this country around or it will be too late. These same old men were staunch supporters of the direction of the country during the 1980s and early 1990s. Now they look back and see how much things have changed during their lives, and they realize that they gave our government too much leeway to do as it pleased. It's called hindsight. They didn't know it then, but recognize it now. We should listen to them because they are right.

Why not, Government welcome to the club! Everyone on the internet has 10 personas . . .

If it where up to me the government would consist of a wooden shanty out in the boondocks where we get together to make fun of other countries about there strange sayings.

Nothing at all.

When I see all those pro Israel pro war posts on websites I now know they are not idiots, they are simply fakes.