Sock-puppets, Astroturfing, and the Discerning Techno-Activist

Individuals have been successfully presenting a fictionalised version of themselves since the Net began, including creating fake histories, multiple personalities, and imaginary communities. But in an environment where journalists, politicians and other voters use the Net to gauge public sentiment, what are the effects of organized mass sock-puppetry? How can we guard against being deceived, and prevent ourselves and others from misusing the tools of psuedonymity and online anonymity?

Join us at this Techno-Activism Third Mondays/Privacy Lab joint discussion, as we investigate with writer and analyst Liz Henry the past, present and future of Internet fakery.

Liz Henry has been separating truth from fiction online for over a decade. She has interviewed the authors of fictional blogs, advised others on how to identify online threats, and helped unpick the mess of sock-puppetry and fraud at the heart of The Gay Girl in Damascus scandal as described in the recent documentary, the Amina Profile. She works at Mozilla, co-founded Double Union, and is a member of Noisebridge. Her published work includes Unruly Islands, and The WisCon Chronicles: Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction.