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Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

ag.ny.gov

121–130 of 316 posts

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#121
post #98

> LCX and Lead ID were responsible for many of these fake comments, letters, and petition signatures. Across four advocacy campaigns in 2017 and 2018, LCX fabricated consumer responses used in approximately 900,000 public comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Similarly, in advocacy campaigns between 2017…

I’m curious if prosecutors could try someone for 900k counts of a crime.

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#122
post #83

Criminal organizations conspiring to subvert democratic processes... The companies should be dissolved, the people who organized it should go to jail, and the broadband companies should be fined millions.

The irony here is that none of that mattered for the purpose of this agreement. They committed fraud by saying they'd subvert the democratic process in one way, but did it in a lazy way instead.

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#123
post #100

Not being very familiar with US government webdesign, it took a while for me to realize that this is in fact the official website of the NY attorney general, rather than the personal website of an individual. The AG's name is written in huge letters on top, as if it was her, rather than her office, that mattered most. The name appears three times before the first paragraph of the article, and again in large, bold let…

You're not wrong, but at least whitehouse.gov doesn't have Joe Biden's name in giant letters.

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#124
post #100

Not being very familiar with US government webdesign, it took a while for me to realize that this is in fact the official website of the NY attorney general, rather than the personal website of an individual. The AG's name is written in huge letters on top, as if it was her, rather than her office, that mattered most. The name appears three times before the first paragraph of the article, and again in large, bold let…

[deleted]

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#125
post #98

> LCX and Lead ID were responsible for many of these fake comments, letters, and petition signatures. Across four advocacy campaigns in 2017 and 2018, LCX fabricated consumer responses used in approximately 900,000 public comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Similarly, in advocacy campaigns between 2017…

I found this: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/technology/internet-provi...

Says a bunch of companies received millions in fines a few years ago and it names AT&T, Charter, Comcast and some lobbying group.

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#126
post #98

> LCX and Lead ID were responsible for many of these fake comments, letters, and petition signatures. Across four advocacy campaigns in 2017 and 2018, LCX fabricated consumer responses used in approximately 900,000 public comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Similarly, in advocacy campaigns between 2017…

I’m curious if prosecutors could try someone for 900k counts of a crime.

I don’t believe there’s a limit to the number of charges in an indictment… I know I have seen 100+ count charging instruments (for credit card fraud).

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#127
post #30

$615 million dollars seems like chump change for 9 million counts of identity fraud. I recently read a story where the local DA in Portland charged a homeless man for identity theft for stealing a wallet. He hadn't tried to represent himself as the other person; he literally just had the wallet and ID. Yet again, turns out it's OK if you're a corporation.

>Portland charged a homeless man for identity theft

Can you source this? Here's the closest I can find[1], an event in 2017 where a homeless person stole the wallet and wedding ring from a dead man after someone else murdered him.

1: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2017/06/homeless_man_now...

Re: Three Companies Impersonated Millions to Influence Internet Policy

#130
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If my dog bites somebody, I'm on the hook. It should be no different with companies--otherwise there's no incentive to avoid funding shady behavior. Stock ownership is rewarding because it's risky. Let it be risky.

I will not silently go to prison because my 401k worth under USD 20k owns 0.0015 shares as a part of some mutual fund. The CEO and the board do not do my bidding. Send them to prison.

Technically you own shares of a mutual fund, and the mutual fund owns the stock. Unless the mutual fund only owns its shares via ownership share in a bank, which owns a derivative which owns the 0.0015 shares.

Which is generally why responsibility stops with the board of directors, because there’s no way there was criminal intent through four layers of indirection. (Except shell companies, of course.)

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