Why Are Bots Infiltrating Facebook Veterans Groups?
Social media was fun while it lasted. Now, bots have begun infiltrating veterans groups on Facebook with suspicious regularity. These same forums used to serve as safe havens of information sharing about VA, but now veterans are skeptical.
Across social media, the tactic is the same. One fake profile infiltrates a group. After a few months, that profile invites a host of bots that post porn and other obnoxious pictures to otherwise tame forums where veterans are helping veterans.
While on the surface, these bots seem to be having fun at our expense, the possibility lingers that the bots may serve a darker purpose. According to one sluethful veteran in Disabled Veterans – Chapter 31 Voc Rehab, these profiles could be used to usurp valuable information about the groups and their members.
Here is one veteran’s theory:
With the addition of so many “fake” members on this page, I feel the need to share this. I can see the names of all of the “Members” of this site once I am “Friended” on here, which means that these “fakes” can see this, also. On many of your pages, I can see EVERYTHING (what beautiful families!).
The possibility is creepy, right? These bots may be used to grab information and intel on us for a variety of purposes. But, there’s more.
Defense One just published an article on a new government program to suck all data into another new government data synthesis system.
Titled, What Happens When Spies Can Eavesdrop on Any Conversation?, reporter Patrick Tucker discusses the next step our government is taking to gather even more intel.
On Nov. 17, the U.S. announced a new challenge called Automatic Speech recognition in Reverberant Environments, giving it the acronym ASpIRE. The challenge comes from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency, or IARPA. It speaks to a major opportunity for intelligence collection in the years ahead, teaching machines to scan the ever-expanding world of recorded speech.
I can only ask one question, when is enough data enough data?
Our government already seems to have enough information about us to keep its analysts busy for lifetimes. What concerns me more is the huge risk to our economy that attempts to store heaping amounts of data poses.
The reality is that no one is secure. Social media is not secure. Your emails are not secure. Your cell phone calls are not secure.
Maybe it’s time we go back to the ways of old and rely on US Mail…
Nah, there is probably no turning back from social media, cell phones and email.
But moving forward, just know that anything you publish online may live well beyond your lifetime in some database somewhere being data-mined by God knows what government or special interest group.
Ben never helped me with any advice about my VBA because I was not going to the hearing for more money I was going to be established once and for all I was a POW in Vietnam in1988. No money no attorney because they will get 33.3 or more of your final settlement. They don’t give a shit about you so I did mine myself with my Aircrew and nervous but it really is easy if you have a solid case you don’t need and Ambulance driver Atty cause the just want the money. Thanks for no help Ben and you say your care Bullshit you didn’t even respond to me so why would my Vets trust you.
This could be just what I think it is. ( Correct me if I’m wrong ). But it could very well be a sinister method to discredit veterans that are helping other veterans to deal with VA (VHA and VBA). Who obviously would be the major benefactor by the outcome of this method?… I think we all know!
Bots are created for any purpose. It seems people are just trying to get Veterans’ groups banned by posting explicit content.
Okay, I’m a little confused (won’t be the first or last time). Yes, I know what bots are. But don’t bots usually espouse one political affiliation or the other? So if you lean left, conservatives are bots? Or vice versa? So Ben, fill me in, where have I gone wrong?
Bots were here before you were born and will be here after you die ….but ben lets not be so dramatic!
We fight this UPHILL battle daily, but to say we can REMEDY it is a FANTASY. As long as we continue to support a Govt that DOES NOT address our NEEDS, we will have the PROBLEM. Our only HOPE is that the PEOPLE we ELECT will start to address our NEEDS. This country is too RICH to have the LEVELS of POVERTY it has, we need to address the REAL problems and not the BAD results of these problems.
Can you imagine all Criminals with the resources of the OLD TIME “MOB” ? If we do not address the ROOT problems the TREE can become VERY INFECTED.
I am aware of this and watching this for possible outcomes on this and other sites.
I don’t think the Bots are going away any time soon
Just a thought Ben, but if the Group had more than just one Administrator and/or Moderators it might be possible to get a handle on the problem.
A number of us have volunteered but we havent been taken up on our offers go assist.