Sock puppet (internet)
A sockpuppet is a false identity used on the Internet intended to hide a person's real identity.[1] Another word to describe a sock puppet would be alter ego. Often, a sock puppet identity is used to promote ideas or gather intelligence anonymously.[2] Very often, they are used by individuals on the Internet praising themselves while pretending to be someone else.[3] Politicians have frequently been accused of using sock puppets.[4] Straw man sockpuppets are designed to create political mischief (making fun of an opponent's position for example).[4] It can make it appear many people hold a certain opinion, when in fact that is false. Many online communities attempt to block sockpuppets.It can also be used to tarnish image of an individual without being recognized.
History
[change | change source]The term "sockpuppet" was used as early as July 9, 1993.[5] By 1996 it was in general use.[5] The Oxford English Dictionary at first defined it as "a person whose actions are controlled by another".[5] In 2000 the U.S. News and World Report associated the word minion with a sock puppet.[5] In 2006, an aide to a Republican congressman was caught posting messages on Democratic Party sites. Using a false identity the aide was trying to convince Democrats not to support a certain candidate.[6]
Other examples
[change | change source]- The history of reviewing one's own work under another name predates the Internet. Walt Whitman and Anthony Burgess both reviewed their own books under pseudonyms (false names).[7]
- Benjamin Franklin was known to have used many pseudonyms. Some were invented to avoid censorship. Other alter egos were to invent people to argue every side of an issue.[8] Some of his invented names were for the purpose of satire. Others were for humor to entertain his readers.[8]
- US Intelligence agencies use sockpuppets to hide the identities of people collecting intelligence.[2] The Huffington Post ran an article a software provider working with the US agencies on software to help manage multiple online identities.[2]
- On October 21, 2013 the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) condemned paid advocacy sockpuppeting on Wikipedia and, on October 23, specifically banned editing by the public relations firm Wiki-PR.[9]
Meatpuppet
[change | change source]A meatpuppet is similar to a sockpuppet, except a person joins users to a website, such as Wikipedia, to be used with sockpuppet behaviors. Such users are actually real individuals that come to support another user. If a person uses real people to create accounts that support that person's opinions, this form of meatpuppetry is often called "astroturfing", a type of false impression of support.[10]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ William Safire, Safire's Political Dictionary (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 589
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ted Claypoole; Theresa Payton, Protecting Your Internet Identity: Are You Naked Online? (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012), p. 198
- ↑ Editorial (13 September 2006). "Sock Puppet Bites Man". The New York Times.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Obama, Clinton, Palin: Making History in Election 2008, ed. Liette Gidlow (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2011), p. 136
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Encyclopedia of Deception, Volume 1, ed. Timothy R. Levine (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014), p. 854
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Public Relations, Second edition, ed. Robert L. Heath (Thousand Oaks, CA; London; New Delhi; Singapore: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2013), p. 858
- ↑ Amy Harmon, "Amazon Glitch Unmasks War Of Reviewers," New York Times, February 14, 2004.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Benjamin Franklin's Intellectual World, eds. Paul E. Kerry; Matthew S. Holland (Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; Lanham, MD: Co-published with Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2012), pp. 111–112
- ↑ Matthew Roth (19 November 2013). "Wikimedia Foundation sends cease and desist letter to WikiPR". Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ "meat puppet Definition: TechEncyclopedia from TechWeb". The Computer Language Company. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
