Cognitive infiltration

[Cain]

Uh, wow

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/obama-staffer-infiltration-911-groups/

In a 2008 academic paper, President Barack Obama's appointee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs advocated "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the ones surrounding 9/11.

Cass Sunstein, a Harvard law professor, co-wrote an academic article entitled "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures," in which he argued that the government should stealthily infiltrate groups that pose alternative theories on historical events via "chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups and attempt to undermine" those groups.

As head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Sunstein is in charge of "overseeing policies relating to privacy, information quality, and statistical programs," according to the White House Web site.

Sunstein's article, published in the Journal of Political Philosphy in 2008 and recently uncovered by blogger Marc Estrin, states that "our primary claim is that conspiracy theories typically stem not from irrationality or mental illness of any kind but from a 'crippled epistemology,' in the form of a sharply limited number of (relevant) informational sources."

By "crippled epistemology" Sunstein means that people who believe in conspiracy theories have a limited number of sources of information that they trust. Therefore, Sunstein argued in the article, it would not work to simply refute the conspiracy theories in public — the very sources that conspiracy theorists believe would have to be infiltrated.

Paper is available here, by the way http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1084585

People are thinking bad and wrong thoughts on the internets! 

Funny how no-one has suggested cognitively infiltrating, say, the 'think' tank community to find out why they keep blowing smoke up all our arses on issues like Iraq, Yemen and taxation.  But that's different. Somehow.

[Bu🤠ns]

HAHAHAAHA Governments trolling internet communities...THIS IS HILLARIOUS

hmmm....could this lead to possible counter-trolling operations?

[Cainad (dec.)]

So there's a Federal Bureau of Trolling now?

[Cain]

Sadly, this just appears to be Cass Sunstein being a prick again, and not government policy. 

[Bu🤠ns]

 

that's too bad....


Well, there's still that military protocol for proper etiquette for social networks.   


nm...its not the same

[East Coast Hustle]

while I disagree on principle with the concept...I'll be first in line to apply for a job at the Bureau of Trolling.

[MMIX]

My epistemology is not crippled its just differently abled . . . and my BS detector is working just fine

[Jasper]

Hey guys!

I just want to say that I for one fully endorse this decision.  I mean, we'd be hypocrites if we said otherwise, right?

Felix,
Totally did not go turncoat, honest

[Requia ☣]

Is this actually a new idea?  I thought they pulled the same kind of stuff in the 60s.

I suppose this is different in that they aren't trying to turn the infiltrated groups violent as a false flag op.

[BabylonHoruv]

Is this actually a new idea?  I thought they pulled the same kind of stuff in the 60s.

I suppose this is different in that they aren't trying to turn the infiltrated groups violent as a false flag op.

I wouldn't be so sure.

[Elder Iptuous]

Is this actually a new idea?  I thought they pulled the same kind of stuff in the 60s.

I suppose this is different in that they aren't trying to turn the infiltrated groups violent as a false flag op.

I wouldn't be so sure.

Agreed....
They have false flag events at protest rallies to delegitimize protestors and as a pretext for use of force, so why wouldn't they do the same against these groups?

What are the responsibilities of the "head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs"?

[Requia ☣]

Allow me to be more clear.

Infiltrating and *not* running false flags is a novel idea for the government.  The infiltrating thing not so much.

[Iason Ouabache]

The funny part is that even if this stays a speculative academic paper and doesn't became official government policy, it will still drive the conspiracy theorists crazy and make them even more paranoid. The government can troll them by not trolling them and watch them wildly point their fingers at each other trying to figure out who is the false flag.  Bravo to them.

[Bu🤠ns]

The funny part is that even if this stays a speculative academic paper and doesn't became official government policy, it will still drive the conspiracy theorists crazy and make them even more paranoid. The government can troll them by not trolling them and watch them wildly point their fingers at each other trying to figure out who is the false flag.  Bravo to them.

[Cain]

while I disagree on principle with the concept...I'll be first in line to apply for a job at the Bureau of Trolling.

The best part is, even when you're not at work, you could troll places like GLP to set up more work for you the next day.