Lots of good news all around yesterday but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit bummed that Dick Cheney wasn't alive to see a Muslim immigrant become mayor of NYC.

It's just interesting how different outlets report the news is all I'm saying.

Two weeks ago, I identified a TikTok sympathy scam using racial slurs and false claims of “handmade” products from “family-owned” businesses. Thanks to @craigsilverman.bsky.social, nearly 200 connected scam accounts have since been removed. indicator.media/p/tiktok-sym...

Imagine using racial and homophobic slurs to garner sympathy buys for dropshipped products. It's happening now on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook. I'm in the process of uncovering dozens of accounts, recycling canned videos with wildly offensive fake comments directing viewers to their store.

If Antifa means anti-fascist and you're anti-Antifa... then you're pro-fascism. Also, Antifa isn't an organization, it's an ideological position.

Lately, I've seen A LOT of inauthentic activity on TikTok with the video description "Chelsea defeated PSG 3-0 to win the Club World Cup Final" I feel like there's a treasure trove of data here but I don't have the time or resources to see it through. How much are these faceless accounts earning?

The one-two punch of an impending mass casualty even and a brand changing its branding.

Glad the courts finally agree with what's been established for years.

It took 77 days to cause an economic recession.

This is probably fine. 🙃

Infrastructure Week 2.0

Come to think of it, with all of the wild "zone flooding" that's been going on in the past month and a half, it feels like it would be pretty easy for members of Congress to do some light fraud without getting caught.

Tariffs on Canada and Mexico go into effect March 4th. The State of the Union is March 4th. He thinks it'll be a win for him to brag about the tariffs before the *real* effect is felt and because everything he says is a tire fire, it'll be forgotten when the next insane thing happens.

Really hasn't been that tough to not spend any money today. #EconomicBlackout

Steve Bannon ran a website that had a "black crime" section. Steve Bannon consulted white supremacists for ideas on how to popularize the "Alt-Right" movement. Steve Bannon is actively trying to create a fascist "school for men" in Italy. Steve Bannon is a white nationalist. This is who he is.

"Worst halftime show of all time"

Tom Brady commentating at the Super Bowl wouldn't stop talking about Tom Brady being in the Super Bowl.

Reminder that the worst people this world need to yell the loudest for their ideas to spread. Attention is their currency. Don't listen. Turn it off. It's okay to ignore for a bit.

Hell yea

@conspirator0.bsky.social I thought you'd find this interesting. A "True Crime" YouTube channel that almost exclusively uses StyleGAN faces for its thumbnails. www.youtube.com/@TrueCrimeMy... They've received hundreds of thousands of views from some salacious (yet fictional) AI-written stories.

Surreal and dumb.

Outrage bait and engagement farming.

The real question, will they also post pictures of AI sandcastles or shrimp Jesus to dupe people's technologically impaired Aunt's?

Spam is inevitable on any social network (unfortunately). Twitter was a proving ground for so many spam networks. Leveraging the lessons learned on Twitter to monitor spam on BlueSky will be crucial in keeping this a decent space. Great stuff, @conspirator0.bsky.social

Among others, Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, Dinesh D’Souza, Bernard Kerik, George Papadopoulos, Charles Kushner, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon but sure let’s run around with our hair on fire bc joe biden has set a bad precedent and undermined our precious norms

Although the option to use one's own domain name as a Bluesky handle limits the value of handle squatting/selling, some folks are trying anyway. Searching for repeated biographies containing contact info reveals groups of accounts created for this purpose.

Will the REAL Mark Cuban please stand up? (Hint: it's @mcuban.bsky.social) This is a new(ish) platform. Make sure you're verifying high-profile social media accounts.

Gaetz got what he wanted and now he's out. www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/11/...

YUUUUP

Sharing this as Stephen Miller gets nominated for Deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/20... Miller had very specific ideas for how to handle migrants and those ideas aligned with the novel most beloved by white nationalist groups.

Honestly, it's just the vibe right now.

This is absolutely wild, thanks for believing in us y'all UGH

At this point, we might end up with Joe Rogan as Press Secretary.

I picked a bad day to pick a fight with engagement farming.

This is a great example of engagement farming. The original image was first shared by the DailyMailUK. It showed Norma June Platell (90) and her husband Ernest (92). The couple passed away within minutes of each other in January 2019. They're not 106 and 102 and they were married for 70 years.

I spent so much time over the past few years demonstrating how people use StyleGAN images online. I'm sure it helped some! Now I plan on focusing more on scams, rage bait, engagement farming and other tactics that make social media less fun for everyone. Why? If you can spot it, you can avoid it.

We're back baby! [screaming internally]