"The Double Identity of an "Anti-Semitic" Commenter." from Common Dreams

[northoftheborder]

Last edited Wed Aug 20, 2014, 02:52 PM - Edit history (1)

link: http://www.commondreams.org/hambaconeggs

This is about someone discovered carrying on blog conversations on Common Dreams stories about Israel; he used various identities and argued with himself; the purpose was to injure Common Dreams' website integrity and resulted in people withdrawing their monetary support of the site because of the very frequent postings trying to rile up the issue. Common Dreams finally discovered his true identity.

I hope this does not break the rule of no Israel/Palestine posting. It is really about the damage trolls can do to a website.

[cyberswede]

1. Link?

[Bill USA]

2. I googled "commondreams" and found article on their site - lead article...(link)

http://www.commondreams.org/hambaconeggs

Like many other news websites, Common Dreams has been plagued by inflammatory anti-Semitic comments following its stories. But on Common Dreams these posts have been so frequent and intense they have driven away donors from a nonprofit dependent on reader generosity.

A Common Dreams investigation has discovered that more than a thousand of these damaging comments over the past two years were written with a deceptive purpose by a Jewish Harvard graduate in his thirties who was irritated by the website's discussion of issues involving Israel.

His intricate campaign, which he has admitted to Common Dreams, included posting comments by a screen name, "JewishProgressive," whose purpose was to draw attention to and denounce the anti-Semitic comments that he had written under many other screen names.

The deception was many-layered. At one point he had one of his characters charge that the anti-Semitic comments and the criticism of the anti-Semitic comments must be written by "internet trolls who have been known to impersonate anti-Semites in order to then double-back and accuse others of supporting anti-Semitism"--exactly what he was doing. (Trolls are posters who foment discord.)
(MORE)

[The Magistrate]

3. Sounds Like The Notorious 'Herschel' Sir

A legend of a troll, who maintained opposing personas on this topic, here and elsewhere, for quite some time before he was rumbled.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. And is back...

Don't forget he also created "Liberal Underground" too.

ETA: It should be noted he is anything but a "pro-Israel" poster.

[The Magistrate]

5. I Remember, Sir

That was a good part of his downfall, if recollection serves.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. That, and his colossal fuck-up elsewhere which revealed several of his identities.

Ahhh...the good ole days.

[Bill USA]

7. a good indication as to the depths of deceit that some are willing to go to, to achieve their ends

I've noticed Hamas is using more and more techniques of propaganda to play to World public opinion, in their war against those they want to obliterate.

They shoot off rockets in violation of a Cease-fire. When Israel notes the rockets were fired form Gaza. Hamas says: "We are not aware of any our people launching rockets" ... This sounds better than saying "We didn't shoot any rockets!" .... as if they don't know about and control everything involving shooting rockets or mortars at Israel from Gaza. NOBODY in Gaza has rockets to launch BUT HAMAS.