Under the pilot program the Harper government paid a media company $75,000 to monitor and respond to online postings about the east coast seal hunt.
And I reported upon it on May 12th here. My post includes links to the gov.'s original RFP, so you can see all the details of the dirty deal that were not reported upon in the MSM.
I don't have a problem with a government agency or someone hired by the government to collect information that is posted on the internet. Governments have collected newspapers, radio and TV clips, and stored them on file. Internet articles including blog posts are another thing to collect. They are in the public domain.
ReplyDeleteI also don't have a problem with some official replying to my post so long as that person identifies him or herself as working for a department or agency. It's much like a letter to the editor of a newspaper. Even though I am anonymous, I do expect anyone commenting on behalf of any public or private agency to identify as such.
I do have a problem with a government agency collecting information about so-called "blogging misinformation" so that the government can provide its own misinformation.
To any government provocateur, please make comments on my blog posts. On some days, my readership is low. The only comments I get are from people like C.Alis and Vi Agra, and from my friends who write in Japanese thanking me for my wonderful blog post. I have to Google-translate. They usually provide links to websites run by my friends, C.Alis and Vi Agra.
}}}}}shrug{{{{{ I did exactly the same thing except the much smaller personal budget meant it happened on a much personal smaller scale. And I (not so gently in many cases) corrected and offered rebuttals to the anti-seal hunt tactics and propaganda I found.
ReplyDeleteWhy would DFAIT not take advantage of social media to protect Canadian industry?
Out of curiosity, is it the money aspect of this or do you have equal complaints about the surrogates that we all know that the various political parties use for free that perform the same function?
SL,
ReplyDeleteYou hired a 3rd party to do your refuting?
Nope, be nice to have that sort of dough kicking around but I don't. I do however consider the $75,000 money well spent in this case.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in the comment though, "why would DFAIT not take advantage of social media to protect Canadian industry?
Green Party blogger Camille Labchuk scooped both you and the MSM by 5 months.
ReplyDeleteThe upside of this is that we no longer need to take seriously a single pro-Harper blog post, tweet, comment or Facebook posting. If they're paying for some astroturfers, we have no way of knowing whether or not every single conservative social media entry is being paid for with our own tax money. If I were a pro-CPC blogger or tweep, I'd be pissed off about my own tax dollars going into a program that destroys my credibility.
Anybody who tries to refute me shouldn't bother wasting their time. I'll simply point out that you're probably being paid from those unaudited MP expense accounts.
I don't have a problem with a government agency or someone hired by the government to collect information that is posted on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSkinny Dipper, I do have a problem with this government spending tax payers monies to spy on Canadians for their own partisan agendas. This has got to be the most dishonest corrupt government in Canada's history and all from a leader that swore they beleived in smaller governments and being transpareent and open to all Canadians. This government should be charged with contempt and thrown out ASAP.
I do have a problem with a government agency collecting information about so-called "blogging misinformation" so that the government can provide its own misinformation.
Ditto! As a tax payer, I have a huge problem with a chabitual liar that thinks people are so gullible to beleive them all of the time.
Ditto JB
Anybody who tries to refute me shouldn't bother wasting their time. I'll simply point out that you're probably being paid from those unaudited MP expense accounts
JB, Totaly agree with you. This is a very sad time in Canada's government. A bunch of bullies & liars with no regard to Canadians and a party that needs to be charged with comtempt for Parliment and its citizens who pay their wages. And the Media sources that are so partisan its no surprise that anybody is even buying their papers and that they are on the verge of being history.