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Comment by atemerev | Hacker News Reader

I feel that the UK and Commonwealth states are the worst offenders in digital privacy violations and "inauthentic behavior" programs. "Porn law", known information operations campaigns, and now this... It's one thing when Russia or China do this, and another when a supposedly free and democratic state does.

Now all dictatorships in the world, when confronted about their own propaganda and manipulation campaigns, will shrug it with "UK does that, so what?"

(Update: the article is a little low on sources and confirmations, so I would fact check the information there before leaping to any conclusions).

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>when a supposedly free and democratic state does

Create social media campaigns to promote social cohesion? I'm, er, actually okay with this?

The article says "politicians’ statements, vigils and inter-faith events are also negotiated and planned in readiness for any terrorist attack". Nothing about that strikes me as particularly harmful; a government promoting social cohesion during times of turmoil is standard fare. What's upsetting about that?

With fake accounts, bot networks and hashtag stuffing?

Welcome to Russia.

Where in this article does it allege "fake accounts" or "bot networks" are employed?

This article is from a dubious source, and is rather light on sources. Nowhere is it alleged the UK government is abusively creative accounts on social media.

"pre-planning social media campaigns that are designed to appear to be a spontaneous public response"

Can this be interpreted in any other way?

Yes...? I'm amazed if you drew from that single sentence that the UK is creating fake accounts on social media and using bot networks. There's 'filling in the gaps', but that leap you've managed to make is egregious.

The third sentence further explains the false spontaneity: "In operations that contingency planners term 'controlled spontaneity', politicians’ statements, vigils and inter-faith events are also negotiated and planned in readiness for any terrorist attack."

Basically: the UK government coordinates social media campaigns to promote social cohesion in the wake of terror attacks, and additionally coordinates with community leaders and politicians. That's all you can draw from the article, unless you have additional information or sources to the contrary.

These are not "spontaneous public response". Hiring people to distribute flowers to look like spontaneous bystanders is. Marching with fake posters with fake hashtags to look like spontaneous gatherings is, these are already fake personas. If you add "on social media", you can infer all the rest.

...Aaand its gone. In 5 minutes. Not on HN main page anymore. So much transparency!

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