Cryptocurrency news site writes about how professional shills use a system called "DisruptDictator" to manipulate reddit.

132  2015-05-03 by This__is-

Article - Without pay wall

TL;DR:

  • Insider named Ted has over 100 reddit accounts. Some of the have long histories on many subreddits and are bought from several people by his employer.

  • All accounts share a system called DisruptDictator. It's used to keep track of account's persona, acceptable times to post, instructions to how to brigade without getting caught. See this pic for example.

  • Different accounts are marked to use different VPN connections to make them appear further legitimate to reddit administrators.

  • Shills are given reading materials and are tasked to know the most prominent posters and engage them. They will also collect all info about these poster, such as their location, in the system so other users can refer to them.

  • The insider (Ted) has been working for about a year and making $10 an hour. Checks come from an extensive range of company names.

11 comments

7  Bitcoin_CFO 2015-05-03

With a free market the crypto lives within, who do you think is most likely to try to disrupt it?

3  BabyBunt 2015-05-03

I like you.

5  Balthanos 2015-05-03

Dude should ask for a raise.

5  omenofdread 2015-05-03

It isn't limited to just bitcoin. These persons are active in social media.

3  NeedaSWAT 2015-05-03

inb4 censored

1  JamesColesPardon 2015-05-03

Enjoy the top.

1  Ferrofluid 2015-05-03

making $10 an hour.

and they get out of bed and do treason and lies for this paltry amount !?

-9  Zeus250BC 2015-05-03

This is a counter operation hit piece against people challenging the status quo. This is nothing but a hit piece designed to implant into your sub conscience that anyone who challenges the Govt or challenges someone who claims to be knowledgeable and brilliant about a subject is a kook or being paid by someone. I would suggest to you that their is a down voting brigade that does just this but it is an attempt to put your opinion or comment into the basement of the SR, where no one can see it. If someone leaves a comment, I would suggest they may NOT be a troll. Trolls usually have NOTHING interesting to say. Fear the down voting brigade. I can handle my own with a Communist Cultural Marxist idiot. I don't fear them. Engage them. They always lose because they can't provide facts, only philosophical utopia. The real world is HERE and NOW, not some ever elusive heaven on Earth that if we just try harder and force it, we can make it happen.

4  Irradiance 2015-05-03

I guess the idea of shills and trolls, real or not, causes conspiracy info to retreat to a silo. If we forget that most of those still expressing belief in the lies are actual people and these are their actual opinions, it seems unimportant to try to spread awareness.

It's probably best to give the benefit of the doubt that dissenting opinions in the comments generally aren't of the paid-for variety and to respond to all with kindness and avoiding the use of logical fallacies in debate.

3  Alcorr 2015-05-03

It's probably best to give the benefit of the doubt that dissenting opinions in the comments generally aren't of the paid-for variety

This is true, however sometimes it's very obvious...if you know what to look for.

1  fuckstick3434 2015-05-03

Biggest thing I hate about reddit is how your comment history is collected for all to see. That's why I delete my reddit accounts and create new ones every few months. That's enough to prevent fuckwits I argue with from stalking me and doxxing me.

The problem is that then whenever I comment on one of my favorite subreddits, /r/conspiracy, somebody's always there to be like "OMG NEW ACCOUNT SHILL ALERT."

God I can't wait for an alternative to reddit to pop up.