21 votes

“Hacker X”—the American who built a pro-Trump fake news empire—unmasks himself

8 comments

  1. [8]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [5]
      admicos
      Link Parent
      Someone on Twitter seems to have identified the company, though I don't know if it would be against any rules to post it here, so I'm a bit reluctant in doing that.

      At least they posted pictures of the building. I would not be surprised at all if the location and company eventually is identified as a result of that.

      Someone on Twitter seems to have identified the company, though I don't know if it would be against any rules to post it here, so I'm a bit reluctant in doing that.

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        cfabbro
        Link Parent
        I'd say better not, especially given that another top post from today is this one: How one man was wrongly accused in Kongsberg attack – many international media outlets picked up on speculative...

        I'd say better not, especially given that another top post from today is this one:
        How one man was wrongly accused in Kongsberg attack – many international media outlets picked up on speculative tweets

        The company identified on twitter could be the correct one, or it might not be... so better to wait until it's verified by a source that can actually be trusted, rather than jumping the gun and potentially contributing to a witch hunt.

        7 votes
        1. [3]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. [2]
            cfabbro
            Link Parent
            I didn't say it should be forbidden, but what's the harm in holding off on sharing something like that until it's verified by someone more reputable than random twitter users?

            I didn't say it should be forbidden, but what's the harm in holding off on sharing something like that until it's verified by someone more reputable than random twitter users?

            7 votes
      2. sharpstick
        Link Parent
        My biggest problem with this article was their un-willingness to name the company that was doing so much harm. I vet my new sources heavily so I am not familiar with the alternative new source...

        My biggest problem with this article was their un-willingness to name the company that was doing so much harm. I vet my new sources heavily so I am not familiar with the alternative new source universe online, but I have relative who I suspect get most of their news from these sources. With out the names of the sites that this "Hacker x" created the information is nearly useless to me. It is just speculation and as such, affords no tangible action to help mitigate the harm.

        It's analogous to writing a new story about a convicted child molester living and active in a community where the reporter presents evidence of clear, and continued wrong-doing, but then gets coy when it comes to revealing the name of the person. It leads to speculation and worry without a constructive path forward.

        I don't see this as too many steps removed from the actions of the subject of the article.

        Edited some mistyped words.

        2 votes
    2. [2]
      BridgeBum
      Link Parent
      I agree with the sentiment, but it feels likely that he didn't break any actual laws.

      I agree with the sentiment, but it feels likely that he didn't break any actual laws.

      2 votes
      1. MimicSquid
        Link Parent
        Yes, that is a weakness of the current laws, isn't it?

        Yes, that is a weakness of the current laws, isn't it?

        6 votes
  2. moriarty
    Link
    Pretty interesting investigative journalism piece detailing the origin of 2016 spike in fake news

    Pretty interesting investigative journalism piece detailing the origin of 2016 spike in fake news

    1 vote