(WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD) About Showtime's "HOMELAND" and the "Sock Puppet" episode...

[NurseJackie]

... I know it's fiction, but is it true to life?

Are there really "factories" of fake news creators and organizations that help to hide/rotate IP addresses of individuals who are playing multiple roles (complete with their own back-stories) with each one responsible for spreading identical talking points, or for spreading division, suspicion and distrust.

If it's real, do you think that sort of thing happens right here? Or is that kind of activity limited to more important (ie: more visible) venues like Facebook and Huffington Post, etc.

I always assumed it was loners or (at most) a couple of loose-knit groups of bored rabble-rousers. The "Homeland" episode shows it as a frightening and highly organized source of disinformation.


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This really wasn't a "spoiler" filled OP... but if it gets any replies, those could contain spoiler info, and that's why I decided to include the "SPOILERS AHEAD" message.

[boston bean]

1. I wondered myself.

[HipChick]

2. It's real....however, they don't need to be necessarily in the same physical room

a distributed virtual group with anon servers can do the same damage

[Ilsa]

3. This storyline for the last three weeks has me captivated.

I figured the big building might be a hacker farm, but it's really an internet propaganda war machine.

I hope Max survives this, and I'm glad he told Carrie what he already knew, even though he had not yet seen Dar there.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. I'm convinced

These folks are organized. And - I'm convinced they are everywhere.

[brer cat]

6. Me, too.

Well organized in fact.

[ksoze]

5. What is Allison Dubois husband doing there?

[mzteaze]

7. Yes

While I will say, the way it's depicted is fictional, there are clear ways to figure out accounts that are questionable on social media aka "sock puppets"