Archive for September, 2011

Beware of Facebook Hide n Smear games

Posted: 09/28/2011 by editormary in Uncategorized

When he's not a flower or a sexy Che, he's a dead Guru

We are all aware that Israelis use internet actively to spy, infiltrate and spread viruses, this is information they themselves have admitted. The social networks have taken over public forums and email as the means to do so. Many who use Facebook use it for activism and believe that forming a list of many activists widens their influence and range of effectiveness. However, there is something that many “see” but wilfully choose to ignore, and it is the ABUSE that FB allows. This site and Palestine Think Tank have exposed on various occasions persons who had stolen identities of other people, people who are well-known as well as those who are known only in their own private circles, used false pictures and false names and false personas to do what is known as “information mining”. That is a devious ploy used so that they could obtain information about you by false pretences that you would never have given if you were aware of the true identity or purpose of the person, often they attempt to engage you in some kind of exchange, (never dealing with arguments but with what is just libel) then since they are avoiding the argument, they rely on the tactic of the smear. Having done that, the next step is to provoke, and then once the persons have been provoked, a sort of mobbing action starts. It’s a mechanism a specific group of persons are using regularly, and I am certain it is widespread, but it is targetting the Palestinian and pro-Palestinian community, and this is why it is being pointed out here.

Mobbing…. Yet, with a mob, you need several persons to create that climate of “the many vs. the few”. This time, the troll is a character who goes by several online personalities: Daniel Mabsout, Sara Swati and Majed Hamed. Oh, those aren’t their real names, and their faces are

1) a long-since-passed-to-nirvana Hindu Guru,

2) a flower

3) Che Guevara!

Yet, for weeks now, they are engaging in behaviour that goes against common decency as well as what is supposed to be FB policy. They are somehow allowed to “download” the profile picture of those “they” decide to attack, create a smear post based on lies (mostly), distortion and insinuation. So far the list of people “they” hate is longer than the people they support… They hate many activists, particularly Palestinians and Lebanese, they despise Erdogan more than anyone, but most tellingly, the true love and adoration is reserved only for leaders who are for some reason quite unpopular at home, despite any positive remarks they may ever have made in favour of Palestine. Assad is just the latest of the fixation: because to this (as “he” claims) non-Syrian, Assad=Syria and if you disagree you are Zionist! Ahmadinejad = Iran likewise and to boot, there is this troll’s insistence that Hezbollah and Iran are the SAME. Never mind that this is precisely what Israel has been stating (unsuccessfully with persons who have some political savvy or who actually use logic). Israel insists upon that as part of their hasbara. You won’t hear anyone else saying it, not even Hezbollah! And, since the CYBER BULLY’S only friends are part of the bizarre Ken O’Keefe Cult, folks who did not know there was anything going on in Palestine until Ken told them, they also buy into this bullshit of argumentation. But, they should also be careful, some of the people he is smearing were formerly his BFF!

“They” have the right to support whoever they want, no matter how flawed the argument and how totally perfect a match it is to Hasbara. They don’t have the right to smear activists and label them as Zionists without a stitch of proof aside from the fact that they MUST be Zionists if they do not support the above three premises. No room for argument, evidence or grey zones. Everything is black and white, and the smearing now is becoming the only arguments they have. FB users, be warned! You could be next, and who is to say you won’t be!

Careful with whom you “friend”, beware of those with fake names/no pictures, do not share your content with everyone unless you are willing to put yourself and your contacts at risk. And seek an alternative to Facebook which is not protecting even the only content open to public, your name and your profile photo.