Today we will hear more about the Bank of America and the banking crisis.  In the first part of this story, we spent a lot of time on HBGary and HBGary Federal - computer security companies whose website and network were destroyed by internet attacks by some members of the group called Anonymous.  They were fighting back when they found out that HBGary was using them to get publicity.  In the process, the world found out what else HBGary was doing for their high profile client, the Bank of America.In the first part of this report, we found out how the bank caused a crisis in the banking system.  When the truth came out, they didn't really face any long term penalty from either the government or the public.Still, the Bank of America was worried about being caught making bad loans so they went further to try and fix their any potential damage to their public image.  This is where HBGary finally comes in.  When the group Anonymous read their internal emails, they found out that HBGary was doing more than just computer security.  They were using their computers to invent false identities on the internet... a large number of false identities whose job it was to loudly and publicly defend the Bank of America.  Using their software, one person could write an opinion that would get multiplied and posted around the internet under many different users on a wide variety of websites for public view.  The HBGary product was careful enough to make the identities different and realistic sounding.  Even the comments were composed to not sound like they came from the same template.    They hoped a fake grassroots campaign of support from a large number of seemingly indepenent people would drown out any public outcry against them.This strategy is based on a phenomenon called "social proof."  In short, if one person criticizes the Bank of America but thirty or forty reply to defend the bank, the average person will ignore the facts and instead try to go along with the majority.

learn more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/0314/Bank-of-America-accused-by-anonymous-website-of-hiding-data

listen to other episodes as they are released at Right Wing Extremists vs Real Americans -  http://septicradio.com/rightwingextremist.php

Music: Constancy Part Two, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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A production of Septic Radio.