A link posted in the channel was to a private vetting group where folks have to give the admin two of their social media accounts or contact details for an organizer to vouch for them. That might be legit or not. But if far-right trolls wanted to do a honeypot, that's how.
"If anybody asks you for credentials, it's OK to test their knowledge," source said. "Ask them *open-ended* questions that only an established organizer would know the answer to. Ex: Could you name some organizing spaces in [your location]?" Gage answers accordingly
"Bottom line: invitations that you don't receive from someone you already know through a secure channel are automatically suspect. Invitations in public channels are probably honeypots," the activist said.
"Don't talk to strangers if you're new to the movement. Just keep showing up and give people a chance to get to know you. If you can't be in the streets but want to be involved, find somewhere to donate to," they concluded.
Now, about Telegram: Here's the thing. Having a telegram to quickly and efficiently get media out is great. It doesn't get the high traffic Twitter does so you can send out a lot more stuff during protests when Twitter is overwhelmed.
