Thread by @gauravsabnis

Had a lot of fun in this long freewheeling chat about #WhiteHatJr, parallels with IIPM, details of the common tactics, and then a general conversation about the post truth world. And how the idealism of blogging days was stymied by sophisticated misinformation swarms.

https://twitter.com/sanjukta/status/1331199746531225600

My laptop was tied up elsewhere so had to prop up my phone for this interview and omg my jowls 😭😭😭😭

"Imagine if you wrote a negative review of a restaurant online saying their food was horrible and the restaurant took you to court because they found your review mean. That's what #WhiteHatJr is doing."

In the video, I elaborate on the 3 pronged strategies of such firms
1. Buy a LOT of advertising in mainstream media. Misleading to outright false.
2. Media is reluctant to investigate big advertisers
3. Bully, harrass, and exhaust critics on social media.
A sophisticated model.

Information asymmetry is inherent to any transaction. The seller always has more information than the buyer. Most sellers, if honest, will share information readily.
Those with dodgy offerings will obviously exploit this information asymmetry with misleading or false ads.

The only other two major sources of information are the media or other customers and reviewers.
If you manage to be lucrative enough for a media entity, you can manage that. And if you use paid labor to target social media or online reviews, you can play dirty tricks there too.

I also talk about how I was lucky that in 2005, there really were no legal options to sue an individual easily in India for online posts or defamation. You could hope a legal threat scared them off. But if it didn't, then the bad guys didn't have many options.

But in the last 15 years, Indian governments (both parties) and courts have made it almost shamefully easy for anyone with money or power to go after an individual's opinions. Be it a political party or a company or a rapist ex editor. Pradeep Poonia is fighting a harder battle.

Basically if a dishonest company or political party wants to shut down online dissent from a common citizen, an easy way is to create such a big nuisance/hassle cost for having that opinion, that 99.9% people won't find the effort worth it. Trolling, swarm reporting, lawsuits.

On one side, you have a paid army of well trained employees executing this misinformation strategy. On the other side, individuals or activists fighting the good fight unpaid. Eventually, most people find the fight north worth the mental toll. That's what these folks count on.

I also mention how the very spontaneous, organized, and knowledgeable support and advice from blog friends was crucial to me not giving in to the threats. Folks like @amitvarma @zigzackly @nilanjanaroy @MumbaiCentral @madmanweb @sruthijith and so many more, standing by me.

If I was just a random blogger without this invaluable wealth of blog friends, willing to offer public support, jobs, free legal advice, etc etc, I don't know if I'd have had the stamina to keep shrugging off IIPM. Even until 6 years later, they kept at it with me. 2 examples.

Others stood up for me when I was doing the right thing. I stand with @whiteHatSnr @SukumarSwathi @malpani and others who are also doing the right thing. Given the information asymmetry advantage that deep pockets have, we need to keep amplifying such voices.

Don't let anyone tell you online activism is pointless or just an exercise in virtue signaling. It can have real impact, big and small. Dozens of emails like this one that I kept getting regularly until IIPM shut down. The #whiteHatJrScam activists are doing even more.

Sanjukta asked me if I see more or less support for Poonia & co compared to 2005. And I say even though he might have numerically more support, a big difference is this "other side" that feeds on misinformation and lies is very strong now. Didn't really exist in 2005.

In 2005 India, I could laugh off these threats about arrest warrants as obvious lies meant to intimidate. In 2020 India, I would take them way more seriously.

Another thing we discussed. Bullies are so not used to someone standing up to them, that they take it as a personal insult. And even if tactically, it's more sensible to just move on, they double down on the one fighting back. And confirm their true character in the process.

At 37:25, I do a true #Trekkie thing by mentioning The Borg from #StarTrek as a parallel for these dedicated well funded online misinformation and bullying hives. You can beat them once. But then they evolve. And get even harder to beat. It's a relentless swarm.