Could there be disinformation agents operating on boards?

So..

What do ye reckon?..Could there be disinformation agents operating on boards?

They're very much a reality across the internet..the 77th brigade, dynology etc..

Could they be in our midst?..

If they were what fora would they be knocking around on?..Current Affairs..Conspiracy Theories?

Are there elements steering opinion here?..

Certain posters on said fora seems to have almost similar posting patterns..That succeed in stifling discussion..

Are they just concerned citizens getting extremely concerned about people's beliefs online, or could it be something else?

Yes I am one of said agents. Do not tell anybody. THANKS

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117908136#Comment_117908136

I bloody knew it..

banie01

Is this the next step in trying to find yourself a safe-space?

Disinformation agents, or people just spouting unsourced BS with a veneer of knowledge can occur anywhere. If they are here? Who are they? What are they targeting? Why?

Sorry for the questions, consider them rhetorical as I know you don't like them.

Although, what if I'm a disinformation agent? Does challenging my questioning refute or reinforce my effort to fúck shít up!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209395/could-there-be-disinformation-agents-operating-on-boards

As a person who gets regularly accused of this, there probably isn't.

For example, you accuse people of having "similar posting patterns", but I think that if you were challenged on this, you couldn't actually provide solid examples that support this.

The accusation only seems to get thrown around when people are upset and are losing arguments.

It also doesn't make a whole bunch of sense to me as there doesn't seem to be much on this forum that would warrant them needing to stifle any discussion. I doubt they'd need to spend that much stopping people from being convinced that space missions are fake or that the vaccine makes you magnetic.

If anything the more likely culprits, if there are any are the types who link dump things and post generic open ended statements and don't seem to be actually engaging with the words written to them.

patnor1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209395/could-there-be-disinformation-agents-operating-on-boards

Nah, it could just be obsession. Hobby, making a name, creating little band of brothers personality cult... No need to see disinfo operation everywhere :)

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910035#Comment_117910035

Or perhaps it's just people refuting complete horseshit.

Of course, you could try going to any other forum, e.g. the medical forum with "certain" views and see what happens.

Fighting Tao

I think that there are people who like to see themselves as in the know and educated on subjects. In reality they have been taken advantage of by, and are the victims of disinformation agents. Most people who open threads on this forum are an example, as are those who back up their beliefs. Disinformation agents these days are people who are trying to make money of those who they influence with their lies and conspiracy theories.

Dohnjoe

Have to love the irony of it all. This forum is packed with people who swallow spurious stuff from Facebook or wherever then evangelise it around the internet without question. Disinformation. Almost like some sort of disinformation agent if you will, unpaid of course ;)

magicbastarder

If by disinformation agent you mean someone with an agenda who is trying to bring others around to their cock-eyed view of the world, yeah, there are plenty of people like that on boards.

sydthebeat

"agents" seems to infer some kind of organised nefarious shadow group.

No I don't at all think that exists here in boards

There certainly exists very opinionated posters who stick rigidly to their outlook, and more than a few who would share the same outlook....whatever that may be.

If the OP got out more they would see that this is reflected in general life and living.

Seeing shadow agents everywhere is a sign of paranoia and possibly a condition that may need treatment.

Sin é

BobHopeless

Whoever sold the Boards.ie accounting team this new platform was a disinformation agent.

Housefree

Israel funds a massive online troll army to defend it's Apartheid regime and justify it's human Rights abuses. As Ireland is at the forefront of Palestinian rights in Europe it's safe to say Boards.ie and other Irish sites are high on its list

https://youtu.be/1FUTNOvDYC0

https://electronicintifada.net/content/inside-israels-million-dollar-troll-army/27566

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israels-troll-army-will-not-stop-palestinian-activism

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191020-the-war-on-truth-how-israels-social-media-trolls-conquered-facebook/amp/

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910387#Comment_117910387

Careful, mentioning the I or J word alone could get you banned for "anti-semitism".

I created a thread once about a documentary featuring a range of Israeli "historians" claiming that the very concept of Easter was antisemitic. Within seconds there were 3 mods in the thread threatening to close it down

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911295#Comment_117911295

You do realise anyone can look this up and see that mods weren't "threatening to close it down".

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911804#Comment_117911804

Not now that I've set my profile to private, thanks.

It might stop this creepy practice of people of your ilk following others around the site to continue the bully tactics when the conspiracy forum is quiet.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911836#Comment_117911836

I am not following anyone. You have posted a manipulated photo and lied about it, which was easy for anyone to spot. You just made a false claim about a thread anyone can look up. Perhaps stop with the BS and blaming other people when called out on it.

Back on topic, there is no end of disinformation on this forum, I doubt anyone is paid for that.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911836#Comment_117911836

In the interests of transparency and to highlight that your claim that the mods were threatening to close it down is a very tenuous stretch.

Here's that thread for anyone who cares to read it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058174806/easter-is-antisemitic/p1

growleaves

I think its very likely yes. Governments and intelligence agencies seek to influence people generally. Electronic media and culture are a part of this.

On the old politics.ie site some posters admitted they were paid to post there. One poster (odetojoy) was working directly for the EU I think I recall?

A few posters on boards Current Affairs are obviously on party-political assignments (posting daily and sticking to the party line uniformly) and haven't denied it when other posters put it to them directly.

Russian/Ukrainian troll farms and the Chinese government using Twitter shills is a matter of record.

growleaves

@sydthebeat 'If the OP got out more they would see that this is reflected in general life and living.

Seeing shadow agents everywhere is a sign of paranoia and possibly a condition that may need treatment.'

On the contrary, anyone who has so much as glanced at a newspaper in the last decade would know that governments and intelligence agents try to actively influence social-media.

They've supposedly helped to throw elections in the United States and Russia (which I think may be overstating their influence but that doesn't mean there been zero attempts to gain influence).

It is so commonplace as to be banal.

The Nal

Yeah there are paid government agents on some of the least viewed threads on Boards.ie

Christ. Some people really need to get out of the house.

I'd personally love to know how many politicians have been undercover on here over the years.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914113#Comment_117914113

Loads id say, and loads of people who work for the parties too. not specifically for Baords.ie though!

If you notice outside any of the tribunals of the politican crooks, Bertie, Charlie etc, youll see pro FF'ers cheering, trying to drown out boos etc. But its all very Irish and amateur. Shoving people.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209395/could-there-be-disinformation-agents-operating-on-boards

This forum is full of solo disinformation agents who get but hurt when they get asked to explain some of their garbage, and if someone doesn't agree with them, it's toys out of the pram time

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911953#Comment_117911953

I read that whole thread and all I see are mods asking MO to provide evidence to support what they posted. Something it seems they are not very keen on.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914621#Comment_117914621

Precisely, some people race to assume victimhood when they are actually the problem.

ShatterAlan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209395/could-there-be-disinformation-agents-operating-on-boards

There could be. I've been accused of being a "Putinbot" and receiving money from the Kremlin for merely expressing doubts about a narrative. So it's quite feasible to surmise that there may be people who either stoke an opinion or crash down upon another.

patnor1011

Some people may be disinfo agents without even knowing it :)

Plenty of do-gooders in the last year willing to fight anyone who mentioned vitamins or lifestyle, or that masks will protect you, or that it is just 2 weeks to flatten the curve, or that vaccines will protect you from getting it, or die from it, or ending up in hospital, or 95% protection, then 60% then "whatever just take it".

Zero covid nonsense, closing up airports with army on the borders, refusing to handle cash, virus lingering on shopping trolley handles and all surfaces for days, that lockdowns work, that we all are in this together...

JimmyVik

There are one or two mods at it even :)

Last year I posted about councils buying up houses and apartments from under ordinary buyers and got told I was living in cuckoo land and that I should be posting in the conspiracies theories section.

Thread got closed then.

Have you guys considered that these are just examples of people not agreeing with you?

Or is everyone who doesn't agree with you a government agent out to get you?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910170#Comment_117910170

I think it depends what you mean by shadow group. I doubt very many posters (apart from various political parties) post here in an organised or co-ordinated way but it's likely the entire platform is mined for useable data about posters, social trends etc by government as well as advertising bodies. I suppose if (say) a government agency wanted to find out who I am, they could do so pretty easily.

On the posting side of things, I certainly hope some of the lads in Current Affairs are getting paid for it because it really does seem to be their full time gig.

astrofool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918074#Comment_117918074

I'm pretty sure you've lost all those individual debates and are using this thread as a grievance list :) and funnily enough, following the same pattern of posting multiple untruths to try and make something true knowing that people won't bother picking apart each bit of it.

patnor1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918380#Comment_117918380

You are what you write.

Wise people talk because they have something to say. (Astro)Fools talk because they have to say something.

MrStuffins

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922882#Comment_117922882

If the first part is true, then I truly feel sorry for yo having read your nonsense post on the first page.

Anyway, i'd be of the opinion that misinfo agents ARE posting on Boards. Same with fake Facebook profiles etc. There has been an enormous increase in conspiratorial-type posting from "new" accounts here and i've lost count of the amount of profiles i've seen on Facebook with fake names and generic profile pics spewing absolute rubbish.

No doubt a good few of the newer profiles here on Boards.ie who are doing the same are pushing misinfo purposely.

Dohnjoe

Most of the stuff that's posted on this forum qualifies as disinfo. From the pandemic is fake to the "Communists are coming" to the space program is fake and so on

Are the people who spread these paid to do so? Unlikely. They just unwittingly (or otherwise) posting them to public forums for whatever personal reasons.

MrStuffins

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923118#Comment_117923118

True. I think 98% - 99% of them are "genuine" for want of a better word.

But I do genuinely think that there are some nefarious accounts here and in other places porting things to rile stuff up and spread misinfo or sometimes to plant said misinfo in the first place.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923118#Comment_117923118

Well in the covid thread we've already seen an example of some one copy and pasting blatantly false propaganda. The image was from a game and anyone who made the meme must have known that when they were making it. It was manufactured false information and lucky for them they were able to trick a poster here into posting it for them.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117923228#Comment_117923228

We just had a poster caught blatantly editing a picture in the space thread. There's passing on disinformation, then there's literally creating the **** stuff knowing it's fake.