Military software to spread pro-American propaganda online
Company contracted to develop 'online persona management service'
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Mar 18, 2011
The California company Ntrepid was awarded a $2.76 million contract by U.S. Central Command to provide “online persona management” software to spread pro-American propaganda overseas through foreign social networks.
The fake online identities, known as “sock puppets,” would allow one member of the military to control up to 10 separate personalities around the globe, with up to 50 U.S.-based controllers in total, which would be able to organize a coordinated intervention as a group if need be, writes Ian Cobain of The Guardian.
The military operators would try to influence online conversations in the Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto languages and would not target U.S.-based websites such as Facebook and Twitter.