Obama Appointee Sunstein Favors Infiltrating Online Groups

[AL the Inconspicuous]

From Slashdot -- Obama Appointee Sunstein Favors Infiltrating Online Groups --

President Barack Obama's appointee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs advocated in a recent paper the "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the ones surrounding 9/11 via "chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups and attempt to undermine" those groups.  Sunstein admits that "some conspiracy theories, under our definition, have turned out to be true" Sunstein has also recently advocated banning websites which post "right-wing rumors" and bringing back the Fairness Doctrine.  You can find a PDF of his paper here.

For decades (1956-1971), the FBI under COINTELPRO focused on disrupting, marginalizing and neutralizing political dissidents, most notably the Black Panthers.  More recently CENTCOM announced it would be engaging bloggers "who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information".  In January 2009 the USAF released a flow-chart for "counter-bloggers" to "counter the people out there in the blogosphere who have negative opinions about the US government and the Air Force".

If I could give up my life for a chance to rip that Nazi motherfucker's head off I would! 

[Harry Tuttle]

Government censhorship is not wrong if you wear an American flag on your lapel.

[rookie]

Government censhorship is not wrong if you wear an American flag on your lapel.

He ain't got one.

[The Green Bastard]

Looks like this guy...

[davann]

Looks like this guy...

Holy crap! A bureaucrat actually leading by example. Just how long and how many groups in N.H. has this dude infiltrated?

[sillyperson]

I would like to be the first to welcome our new Obaminator Overlords to the FTL BBS