Dear Mr. Mock and Others

by Erick on August 5, 2009

We are aware of an influx of sock puppets for several campaigns posing as innocent objective observes of campaigns.

Here’s the first hint for effective sock puppetry: don’t use your same email address to send out campaign releases that you do to register your accounts on Peach Pundit.

Here’s the second rule: Don’t use the same IP address. We can track them.

Here’s the third rule: We turn off the accounts and block the IP addresses, so don’t do it again.

{ 43 comments }

B Balz August 5, 2009 at 10:38 am

Rut roh!

Those durn static IP addys….

Anonymity is greatly overrated.

Dash Riptide August 5, 2009 at 10:46 am

I know, right?

B Balz August 5, 2009 at 11:44 am

Literally LOL on your pic link, Dasher! That is too cleve for days. Y’all go looksee….

Dash Riptide August 5, 2009 at 9:25 pm

It changes often, you know.

B Balz August 6, 2009 at 7:34 am

Had to put on me specktackles to fully appreciate your COLB.

“Vewy, vewy cwever, Wiptide.”

Kellie August 6, 2009 at 7:49 am

Now that is a good fake or is it really a fake? ;-)

Dash Riptide August 6, 2009 at 2:47 pm

It’s as real as I’m standing here.

Henry Waxman August 5, 2009 at 11:14 am

So, where am I located? Seriously, I’m kinda lost and need to know.

Technocrat August 5, 2009 at 11:22 am

Over the years [14 on Inet and 17 with email]. I still have same AOL since 1992. I’ve developed and use the same 8 or so different pseudonames as appropriate to subject matter. Heck “Technocrat” was my email and nickname in Grad School.

The term “technocrat” in current usage refers to individuals with technical training and occupations who tend to perceive important societal problems as technological in nature, while proposing largely technology-focused solutions to the various problems.
This term is mainly used by technology policy analysts who focus their research on the power struggles and conflicts of interest present when different occupational groups compete for societal resources and authority. According to this theory, originally introduced by the administrative scientist Gunnar K. A. Njalsson, technocrats are primarily driven by their cognitive “problem-solution mindsets” and only in part by particular occupational group interests. Their activities and the increasing success of their ideas are thought to be a crucial factor behind the modern spread of technology and the largely ideological concept of the “Information Society”. This definition goes further than its predecessors in distinquishing technocrats from “econocrats” and “bureaucrats” – groups whose problem-solution mindsets differ from those of the technocrats.

It is easy to see who is what here, plus of course the politicrats who make their living FROM which ever candidate they can!

B Balz August 5, 2009 at 11:44 am

polyps

Bill Simon August 5, 2009 at 2:22 pm

AOL has a floating IP address. Meaning, untrackable to any one person.

gatormathis August 5, 2009 at 11:31 am

…you can’t fool Sonny Bubba……he done seen them Ohio license plates……

Henry Waxman August 5, 2009 at 11:34 am

5 points for the Lewis Grizzard reference…

True Grit August 5, 2009 at 11:39 am

So….I guess the question is: Is Erick a sock puppet for the Handel campaign?

Jason Shepherd August 5, 2009 at 11:49 am

No, sock puppets act like they are neutral, but are not. Erick has never been neutral.

True Grit August 5, 2009 at 11:51 am

Ahhhh , good point Shep! Thanks for the correction!

Doug Deal August 5, 2009 at 12:47 pm

I thought sock puppets were not necessarily neutral, but simply a second pseudonym used by someone to pretend he has broader agreement than he actually does. Hence the name “sock puppet”, as it is a mouthpiece controlled by another. For example:

Blogger A gets into an argument with blogger X. Blogger X is winning, so blogger A sets up account B and C to help himself out:

x) Thus, I have disproved everything you said.
a) No you didn’t, you are just repeating talking points.
b) I agree with a, he is always right.
c) I also agree with a, x is juts a troll.

Someone who, on the other hand, pretends to be neutral who then professes love of a certain candidate is definitely something, but not a sock puppet.

True Grit August 5, 2009 at 12:58 pm

“Someone who, on the other hand, pretends to be neutral who then professes love of a certain candidate is definitely something, but not a sock puppet.”

Definition: The 69th most influential Conservative in the USA as per the Telegraph UK edition.

B Balz August 7, 2009 at 7:01 am

I thought this definition was a “straw man” argument?

Doug Deal August 7, 2009 at 9:15 am

I think a “straw man” is when you define your opponent’s arguments in a way which only includes easy to defeat arguments, which may or may not be things he supports.

Thus, you “disprove” your opponent by destroying the weak (or straw man) arguments.

Bill Simon August 5, 2009 at 2:22 pm

What about for Max Wood’s race then?

B Balz August 5, 2009 at 11:42 am

WE in the sock puppet community are greatly disappointed in the adverse characterizations …..

Technocrat August 5, 2009 at 11:57 am

The point is doesn’t everyone have DSL, Cable modem and wireless [Clear] at home/office now to help confuse the IP checkers. Heck old dial up is great but slow.

Win 2000 with Opera or Safari really confuses people.

Doug Deal August 5, 2009 at 12:58 pm

There are other ways to track users, some are quite clever and used by ad services.

Even your browsing history can reveal to a marketer what web sites you visit. There was a recently famous example where a web site would determine if you were male or female by the websites you have visited.

You can also track people with cookies. Just put an invisible iframe on the top of your page and have it save a cookie identifying a user. Other websites can then do the same thing and have the iframe read the cookie and pass it to the parent application.

I am not an expert on internet security, and I refuse to do “security” for customers because only an expert can do it correctly. Never assume there isn’t someone out there smart enough to figure out a way around supposed anonymity.

gatormathis August 5, 2009 at 12:13 pm

Being anonymous went out with CB radio……..

Bill Simon August 5, 2009 at 2:23 pm

Breaker-Breaker!! Ya got a Smoky on your tail!

mac.midnightrider August 5, 2009 at 1:25 pm

Id say that there are many non-sockpuppets who dont fit in the “innocent objective observes of campaigns” category.

Game Fan August 5, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Sock puppets suck. They should be called “suck puppets”. :) Well, uh I’ve been moving around a bit and now have a borrowed laptop and am in a coffee shop since my HP kicked the bucket. As a side note I saw a big burly guy get arrested at one of the Library computers last week, because of “parole violation”.

Dash Riptide August 5, 2009 at 2:10 pm

I was a victim of circumstance.

Game Fan August 5, 2009 at 2:20 pm

Who were you campaigning for?

Dash Riptide August 5, 2009 at 2:32 pm

Free Hat.

Icarus August 5, 2009 at 2:38 pm

I was told there would be punch and pie.

Bill Simon August 5, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I will only work for pie and coffee, not punch.

Holly August 6, 2009 at 12:47 pm

Who works for pie? Seriously.

Icarus August 6, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Well, working for mythical cookies hasn’t gotten me anywhere.

Holly August 6, 2009 at 2:33 pm

I actually feel kinda bad about that.

Icarus August 6, 2009 at 2:40 pm

I’ll try to let you know the next time I’m in D.C. I’ll accept cookies or profuse apologies in person.

Game Fan August 6, 2009 at 5:26 pm

I’m glad you didn’t say “for the children”.

Game Fan August 6, 2009 at 5:26 pm

Of course I COULD afford a new computer, however, not having internet frees me to do more important things. :)

Old Vet August 5, 2009 at 3:22 pm

Heck, I’m so cantankerous I couldn’t stand it if there were two of me.

Romegaguy August 5, 2009 at 4:44 pm

and make sure you dont post your comments from an ip address affiliated with the Twin Towers

Buzz Brockway August 5, 2009 at 5:05 pm

Anonymity is the enemy of civility. – Seth Godin.

B Balz August 6, 2009 at 7:37 am

Kiss your mothers …, Loser.

(;>), jes kiddin’ Buzz.

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