(IRON COUNTY, Utah) — NEWS: As if doxing wasn’t bad enough with home addresses and cellphone numbers posted online by cyberbullies, Rockwood Communications Counsel, Inc., warns that troll farms can quickly fuse an individual, or company to manipulated, information, including impersonating LinkedIn accounts, making it virtually impossible for online searchers to find the real you or your company apart from the dangerous, unethical labels.
Troll farms/factories are on the upswing, intentionally creating disinformation campaigns, splashing acid on people’s online accounts to advance their objectives. Their victims are corporations, governments, or individuals, who are often the most defenseless against such attacks. The MIT Technology Review reported that troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before the 2020 election.[1]
Often based offshore in other countries, troll farms sometimes have their own government’s backing.
“They are reckless and abusive, and the United States government is working as best it can to address inflammatory posts,” says Jen Schooley, a former Cyber National Mission Force, Cyber Threat Analyst with the United States Cyber Command.
Imagine, all search results for your business are suddenly inextricably linked to ‘news’ and posts accusing you of anti-name-a-cause while encouraging thousands to harass your business. And the posts look organic.
“This can rapidly lead to losing clientele, chilling deals, scaring away potential clients or the opening your competitor needs to get a foot in the door,” says Crystal Rockwood, founder of Rockwood Communications Counsel.
Employees can be falsely accused with those same attacks and find themselves defenseless against the ensuing online firestorm. To make matters worse, employers of cyber victims may choose to separate as a means of protecting themselves.
Take the case of “James,” a victim of a cyber-character assassination attempt by a complete stranger with ties to a radical political action group. James was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Upon leaving a bookstore, James is waiting for an Uber when the person in front of him becomes involved in a brief encounter with a driver. Believing it is a simple misunderstanding and unsure why he is being recorded, James briefly waves at the driver then resumes looking for his ride. He is dressed in plain clothes with no logos, or sayings and never says a word.
Thanks to facial recognition software, the next morning, James sees his name, home address, phone number, and employer’s information smeared with negative information rapidly spreading online. The driver posted an accusing video on TikTok falsely claiming that James attacked him, motivated by the driver’s alleged clothing supporting a hot political issue.
Within hours a fake LinkedIn account appears impersonating James’ LinkedIn page and directing his connections to the phony story. Not only does the original TikTok post go viral, but countless other social media accounts begin spreading the video, generating millions of views and thousands of comments condemning James’ alleged behavior and inciting others to harass him.
“The overnight explosion of views/hits are telltale signs of a Troll Flood where workers are given a name, a few key words, and are paid to click and post,” says Schooley.
As a result, James and his family face an onslaught of harassing messages, voicemails, and threats. Just a few days later, despite considering James a top performer and understanding the claims are false, his employer decides to part ways. James, a young professional, is suddenly unemployed. Neither friends nor prospective employers can easily find him online without encountering inflammatory accusations.
According to Careerbuilder.com, 7 out of 10 employers research job candidates online.[2] From the HR perspective, Linda Duffy, President of Ethos Human Capital Solutions in Irvine, California counsels her clients to take each incident on a case-by-case basis. “Deep fakes using Artificial Intelligence are a hot topic in the human resources sector right now,” observes Duffy.
Schooley echoed Duffy’s advice about reviewing each case individually. “Don’t buy into it and be the company that fires its employee. Take pause before making a decision.”
Dan M. Forman, the Managing Partner and Chair of the Privacy Practice Group at CDF Labor Law LLP in Los Angeles advises corporate clients to have a ready arsenal to defend against such attacks. “A first level of defense for employers should be to have a solid cyber policy. An attack may also require hiring professionals skilled in forensic computing, often former FBI agents who can also facilitate communication with law enforcement if a crime is committed,” notes Forman.
Forman continued, “When an employee is the subject of a cyber-attack there are many factors to evaluate before determining the level of resources to be devoted to defending against the attack. Legal counsel should be consulted to determine whether there might be an obligation to be involved.”
As for the public scrutiny, Forman advises, “While an employer may feel public pressure to terminate an employee due to a cyber campaign, the employer should consult with their attorney to evaluate potential exposure, especially in a state like California that provides a great deal of protection for political speech made outside the workplace.”
“Double check dramatic claims. What happened to James can happen to anyone. Be vigilant in monitoring your name online,” advises Rockwood. Unfortunately, there is a very high bar for defamation in the U.S. and pursuing legal action against a single harasser, can be beyond the reach of the average American.
About Rockwood Communications Counsel:
Rockwood Communications Counsel, Inc. Advisors in complex, high-stakes communications; training in social passport skills, and professional development. Learn more at: https://rockwoodcc.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057053125852
CITATIONS:
[1] MIT Technology Review, 9/16/2021, by Karen Hao
[2] https://resources.careerbuilder.com/employer-blog/employers-research-candidate-social-media-profiles
Related link: https://rockwoodcc.com/
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