virtual identities

[hava1]

I wonder if anyone ever ran into a government hoax, when a totally virtual persona gets published as a suspect of crime (attempted murder, in that case). Namely, has anyone heard of a government official ARG ? and what could be the goals ?

[elfismiles]

I wonder if anyone ever ran into a government hoax, when a totally virtual persona gets published as a suspect of crime (attempted murder, in that case). Namely, has anyone heard of a government official ARG ? and what could be the goals ?

Hava, I don't know of a specific example that meets the specifics of your question but the simple answer is YES, as training for police work, detective work, and espionage:

Espionage educational tool: Never Rest
http://www.neverrestgame.com/downloads/ ... stGame.pdf
http://www.google.com/search?q=http%3A% ... om&rls=com

Never Rest Game Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO2NEesjeYY

Uploaded by TBroProductions on Sep 14, 2007

Music by TJ Pawlikowski, some camera work by me, Troy Herring and Rebecca Popka. This is the trailer for the Instructional Alternate Reality Game we are producing. For more information please see the website http://www.neverrestgame.com

For more check out http://www.timbrosius.com

Category:
Entertainment

Tags:
Game Exceptional software media edge tim brosius espionage spy trailer iarg


That's the only "official" ARG-as-Intel-Training example I've ever really come across. Of course, there is always the possibility it wasn't what it seemed either.

Some other more generalized articles on the subject...

Collective Detective Police Work
Daniel Terdiman Email 03.02.05
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/ ... ntPage=all

Gamers have skills. Let's tap 'em.
Video games are training people to solve tough, real-world
problems. By Jane McGonigal
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1105/p09s01-coop.html

Viral Media: How It Can Work in Education
http://www.nostatic.com/viral/?q=node/27

ARG or NOT: "Introductions - My Interest in Collective Intelligence and ARGs for Espionage"

I think this and many other models for the use / misuse of ARGs and gaming for Intel Operations is evident in geo-caching games and ARGs / LARPs like NeuroCam:

Neurocam: Australia's Latest Mystery
http://www.argn.com/archive/000191neuro ... ystery.php

NeuroCam
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8372


....

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/view ... hp?t=22193

Also, back in 2001 a friend of mine wrote about the Role Playing aspects of Intel/Espionage and the ufo & paranormal community:

OPERATION ABJECT
The Majestic Joker Upside Down
By E. Macer-Story
http://www.elfis.net/rnr/rnrx/abject.htm

Of course, now with the TwitterBot and other Automata / Persona software this can be done even more easily I suppose.

[hava1]

THanks. I see its a hot subject,maybe i didnt "get it" when the ARG mania rampaged here. What i mean, is could the gov be "making up" news stories, and I am refering to a particular case here that was published in crimnal section, about an attempted murder, but the victim's identity was never disclosed. Later, the case was supposedly "cracked", but I had a feeling that the suspect they came up with, is not a real person, but a fictitious identity. Later, when I raised my thoughts, a rather solid blogger/journo, suddently commented in my blog, that she coincidentally attended the arrest hearing in court, and gave a "real life" description of the suspects, which made it weirder, coz her account had an aroma of an ARGish account. Etc etc.

Either I am wrong, OR that this could either be training, OR a psych war game, because the MSM sort of gave hints that the victim is related to the intel community. So, this could be a way to absorb internet sniffers, and sort them out.

Not sure. Anyway, I meant that would it possible to make up a whole story like that, without anyone ever realizing that its not real. Just my hunch, I was kind of dragged into it, coz someone , a blogger whom I dont know personally, planted some cues in an email to me, that "kicked in" when the news was released. But he definitely is intel, so he could be a part of the hoax, and I was just a "carrier", given my blogging etc.

Not sure I want to go further into that. But apparently there are some activities on the net, that are better side stepped.

[Nordic]

this may be o.t. but i have a strong suspicion bradley manning is not a real person.

[yathrib]

Me too! But I don't have anything to back it up. Look at how people react if you suggest that Usama bin Laden is largely a figure of spin and myth, and IMO that's almost indisputable.

this may be o.t. but i have a strong suspicion bradley manning is not a real person.

[Luther Blissett]

this may be o.t. but i have a strong suspicion bradley manning is not a real person.

I hadn't considered this. Very interesting.

What ways do we have of getting in touch with those who have purportedly served with him?

[Nordic]

I dunno. But Dennis Kucinich wasn't able to lay eyes on him, and neither was the rep from the U.N.

I saw an interview with his "father" and my instincts were telling me "this guy is not his father".

It's a pure hunch.

Who has actually laid eyes on him since his creation, I mean arrest?

[DrVolin]

I suspect there are many. Whether or not there is a body in a cell somewhere, I strongly suspect Jose Padilla is not a real person.

[hava1]

On topic, I would imagine its easier to create a false person in the USA given the size of country and population. Perhaps the drill is to find out whether googling is sufficient source to verify existence and affiliations, credibility and so forth.

I'd say that's an improvement from stealing real people's identity or real people for jobs (mk ultra type). Making up a whole fictitious person is more economical in terms of human cost. But can be deadly, of course, in other ways.

[barracuda]

Who has actually laid eyes on him since his creation, I mean arrest?

FWIW:

[Stephen Morgan]

I suspect there are many. Whether or not there is a body in a cell somewhere, I strongly suspect Jose Padilla is not a real person.

Not any more, anyway.

[hava1]

The demon of synchronicity brought into my DVD the movie "unknown" with Liam Neson, which deals with fake identities as well, and kind of triggers the MK DID thing . Will not spoil, but recommended for people who have been identifying with their "shell" story, and more.

Will be happy to hear from someone who watched it.

[LilyPatToo]

I saw "Unknown" several times--very entertaining movie--but afterward its relationship to me and to my own history remained uncertain/confused. Not sure if it was just that it aroused my fear of things that other selves might have done or if perhaps non-multiples were disturbed by it too. But I had no such confusion with Liam Neeson's other film "Taken" which is my all-time favorite "rescue porn" and which I've watched countless times

LilyPat

[Nordic]

Who has actually laid eyes on him since his creation, I mean arrest?

FWIW:

Weird. Just like the father interview. How many friends refer to their buddies by their first and last names. He keeps calling him "Bradley Manning", not "Brad" or "Bradley" which is now most real friends would refer to their friends.

And the guy seems plastic and rehearsed. And why was this civilian allowed onto a military base at all? And why was he supposedly allowed to visit Manning when no one else has been able to? What is their "friendship?" Basically who the fuck is this guy supposed to be and why are we supposed to take his word for it that he's a "friend" of Bradley Manning.

It stinks.

[compared2what?]

They're one step ahead of you with their deviously pointless schemes, though. Because yesterday they announced that they're transferring "Bradley Manning" to Leavenworth, where he'll be in the general population.

Maybe they're laying down a trail for the operative who's going to appear as "Bradley Manning" in court in about six weeks? Glenn Greenwald seems to think not. But what do you think?