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Fake Election Web Sites Plague Candidates
Politics is a dirty, dirty game. Just ask Michael Dukakis or John McCain. But just as the Internet has emerged as one of the most potent tools of the modern day election cycle, push polling has given way to an even more blatant form of deception -- fake candidate Web sites.
According to 'Wired,' the phenomenon seems to be particularly targeted at high-profile Republican candidates, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney. The sites feature "quotes" from the candidates espousing support for extreme positions they've never endorsed and supposed supporters letting loose with over-the-top tirades on forums. One poster called "Chuck Manson" expresses his confidence that a Thompson White House would employ IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) in Iraq, like those that insurgents use to ambush Western convoys.
Lower-tier Republicans aren't free from these deceptive attacks, either. Big-on-the-Net candidate Ron Paul's campaign was tarnished by misleading spam mails that seemed to genuinely support his political run, but were more likely intended to discredit him through the use of illegal spam-bots.
Christopher Soghoian, a grad student studying Web psychology and fraud techniques at the Indiana University School of Informatics, believes that the fake forums and spam are just the beginning, "The Internet will increasingly be used for dirty tricks."
Even online security company Symantec is saying that the online element of this election campaign will see its share of Internet-related threats, and expects possible phishing attacks sent in the guise of an e-mail from your favorite candidate.
From Wired
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Comments
7
Subscribe to commentsninaMar 6th 2008 7:25PM
Go Ron Paul....I hope you could be the next President. The others wont get my vote. Go Ron....
Roland MelnickApr 24th 2008 9:29PM
Bush tactic? How stupid. The lunatic left is the party for sabotage, pranks and protest. All those idealistic college students with too much time on their hands.
Not to mention that it was Republican candidates that were slandered.
KellyB...regarding your comment, how is that something unique to Republicans? Honestly, it's not. Either you are 12 yrs old and are therefore too young to remember, or you are conveniently leaving out John "Flip-Flop" Kerry.
No surprise there is this much ignorance out there. Without it, the Democrat party would have no sheep to lead.
rOCCO cAPUTONov 6th 2007 10:39PM
Smells like a Bush machine tactic. Hasn't this been done before. Protect you votes, people will try anything, particularly in the name of god.
BernardNov 6th 2007 11:12PM
rOCCO cAPUTO wrote: Smells like a Bush machine tactic.
And I say: The comment of an idiot. Bush isn't running for ANYTHING. And "god" is CAPITALIZED, not lower case.
Mr. LyonsNov 7th 2007 3:19AM
If anything, this is a direct attack on the potential of the internet as a true force and voice of democracy. If the 'man' can defraud the substance of the internet voice, then people won't feel safe here in cyber sapce either.
TomNov 7th 2007 9:33AM
Read the first 3 comments. Bush Machine is attacking GOP candidates?????? DUH !!!! Bet you a Krispy Kreme it's Moveon.puke or something similar.
democRATS, led by Billory, are moving to the center from their lunatic left base. Why not?? They have collected about 99% of the money available from those losers, so it's time to collect from the next group to the right of them. That would be the Communist Party, USA.
Remember what your Grandpa told you. "Believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you see." Then you'll be close to reality.
Politics is all about POWER, followed by its money. I voted for "W" twice because he was the lesser of the evils. We're about one year from the 2008 elections. NO candidate from either party has made a favorable impression on me yet.
How to do that??? Show me how you will protect me, my children, and my grandchildren from those idiots inside the Distrito de Colombia Beltway.
When was the last time you got a favorable impression from someone who said, "Give me all your money and I'll protect you from your own stupidity?"
Tom
Kelly BNov 7th 2007 6:14PM
OH Boo Hoo, just a tiny tiny taste of their own medicine. Other than Ron Paul, the others can't keep their stances on any issue straight from one speech to another.