Operation Blue Virus: IT professionals take money for online character assassination

New Delhi: Social media is no longer a trusted measure for popularity. Likes can be manipulated and fake friends are readily available. This has been exposed by Cobrapost in an undercover operation codenamed Operation Blue Virus. The sting brings home cold truths on about two dozen IT companies that put social media to nefarious use. An undercover reporter asked these IT companies to launch a branding exercise for a tainted netaji on social media before the elections. Netaji would want to see his opponent maligned, never mind if it borders on character assassination, to help him win the polls. Surprisingly, the companies were ready to do everything: generating lakhs of fake following Facebook, Twitter, not allowing negative comment to appear on the page and a community wise popularity with fake profiles. As for destroying the reputation of the opponent was considered, the companies would hack into the computers of other individuals for posting defamatory content using their IPs and they had a to circumvent TRAI regulations on mass SMS. And every publicity video would go viral. Professionals told Cobrapost on camera how they cover their tracks using offshore IP addresses or servers to upload content. They also use proxy codes, or simply hack others' computers. They often use assembled laptops and disable tracking devices. Job done, the machines are destroyed. These tricks leave no tell-tale signs. Last year's exodus of North-eastern people from Bangalore and Hyderabad is a case in point. A shocked nation saw on TV thousands throng railway stations to board Northeast-bound trains. An SMS rumour that went viral triggered the scare. The incident spurred Cobrapost to carry out its undercover operation. Cobrapost says one of these IT companies claims that Modi's YouTube hangout viewers were also generated by them. According to Cobrapost, Om Prakash Chautala's son Ajay also reached out to one of the companies. It refused to comply on the grounds it didn't have time.