https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Earnest_Voice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-sponsored_Internet_propaganda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntrepid Operation Earnest Voice is an astroturfing campaign by the Federal government of the United States.[1] The aim of the initiative is to use sockpuppets to spread pro-American propaganda on social networking services based outside of the US.[1][2][3][4] The campaign is operated by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) 10 sockpuppets controllable by each user.[2] Sockpuppets are to be "replete with background, history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographically consistent." Sockpuppets are to "be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world."[2] A special secure VPN, allowing sockpuppets to appear to be posting from "randomly selected IP addresses," in order to "hide the existence of the operation."[7] Fifty static IP addresses to enable government agencies to "manage their persistent online personas," with identities of government and enterprise organizations protected which will allow for different state agents to use the same sockpuppet, and easily switch between different sockpuppets to "look like ordinary users as opposed to one organization."[7] Nine private servers, "based on the geographic area of operations the customer is operating within and which allow a customer's online persona(s) to appear to originate from." These servers should use commercial hosting centers around the world.[7] Virtual machine environments, deleted after each session termination, to avoid interaction with "any virus, worm, or malicious software."[7] https://ntrepidcorp.com/ Name Ntrepid Type Software, hardware, and cyber security company Founded October 25, 2010 Headquarters Herndon, Virginia Products Passages ION Nfusion Timestream Tartan Virtus ELUSIV Subsidiaries Anonymizer Ntrepid is an American software, hardware, and cyber security company, registered in Florida and based in Herndon, Virginia.[1][2][3] History In 2008, the Anonymizer company was acquired by the Abraxas Corporation, which was purchased by Cubic in 2010 for $124 million.[4] Some of Abraxas' former employees left to form Ntrepid that same year.[4] Lance Cottrell, founder of Anonymizer, is the chief scientist at Ntrepid.[5] Anonymizer is wholly owned by Ntrepid.[6][7] Military contract In March 2011, Ntrepid won a $2.76 million contract from the U.S. military for "online persona management."[2] The contract was for the creation of technology which would allow for blogging activities on websites, exclusively outside of the United States, to "counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda."[6][8] It would allow for one operator to anonymously create and control up to ten personas from one computer.[3] The project is overseen by U.S. Central Command (Centcom), whose spokesman Commander Bill Speaks stated that the operation would be carried out in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.[2] The project is thought to be connected with Operation Earnest Voice.[2]