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Anti-Empire >>
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite
UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.
Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent
Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!
This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".
According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.
People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.
AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent
Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.
Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy
We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza
Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support
With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza
China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy
This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty
A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed.
The Saker >>
Sadiq Khan?s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don?t Cut Car Use Fri Sep 19, 2025 11:00 | Will Jones
Sadiq Khan?s officials suppressed taxpayer-funded research that showed low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) do not reduce car use after the London Mayor spent five years baselessly claiming LTNs are good for the planet.
The post Sadiq Khan’s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don’t Cut Car Use appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Europe?s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered Fri Sep 19, 2025 09:00 | Tilak Doshi
The delusional EU believes it can wield carbon tariffs as weapons. But its grandiloquent Net Zero scheme is destined to collapse under the weight of the bloc's utter economic irrelevance, says Tilak Doshi.
The post Europe’s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits... Fri Sep 19, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In Episode 51 of the Sceptic: Michael Murphy on Charlie Kirk, free speech and the scourge of ?anti-fascism?, and Ben Pile on how the British public are going cold on global warming.
The post The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits are Cooling on Global Warming appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Fri Sep 19, 2025 01:07 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture Thu Sep 18, 2025 19:00 | Noah Carl
The Right has spent much of the last decade railing against cancel culture, and was arguably winning the debate. It would be a mistake to abandon that position now.
The post We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
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Voltaire Network >>
international |
summit mobilisations |
opinion/analysis
Wednesday May 05, 2004 18:38
by The Ugly face of Hate
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Comments (22 of 22)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22Total agreement with the post above. The level of trolling has shifted from being annoying but occasionally enlivening to being a simple nuisance.
Indymedia's software is very much focussed on enabling speech rather than putting the tools into people's hands to control the type of informatioin that is being pushed at them. Slashcode, and many other software sets, allow collective voting so as to put theis trash where it belongs - at the bottom of the heap.
I think you should consider adding such functionality to oscailt or else reconsider software. I really want to put 'cabhog' and a number of others ina kill file, which means either rating this stuff down or being able to erase these comments by means of unique user id. There is no need to censor these people, juts counterbablance by allowing users to set their preferneces to cut the stuff out.
see
http://www.slashcode.org
Don't feed the trolls!!
Just ignore their rantings - they eventually go away if you don't react. They need people to engage with them to maintain the interest.
It is easy to spot that some of the trolls are using different pseudonyms - the syntax is the same for "different" postings.
Just forget about the losers.
Don't feed the Trolls!!
I know I haven't been posting much these days, but I think this deserves a mention. Basically, I feel that its not 'simple' trolling we're dealing with these days (ie of the "SWP are all cunts" "anarchists are all middle class hippies" "have a wash" type stuff) - we are seeing a sophistication of trolling.
We are now seeing threads started by obvious (and not so obvious) trolls, the subject matter of which is then turned around and used in the press and other places. It has been said before, any hack can write their own crap comment and then use it in an 'article'. And I think we'll see an increase in this - do not be surprised if someone turns up calling on people to kill bush - "INDYMEDIA BUSH TERROR PLOT UNVEILED" the daily shiterag will proclaim.
Basically my point is that its not just simple trolling we're seeing here, its is 'active trolling' - trolling that has a point other than to get a rise out of users of this site. Trolling that is being used to portray this site in a bad light. I'll be the first to admit the site isn't perfect (by no stretch of the imagination).
But hey I dunno what the solution is - voting on stuff sounds nice, but I'm sure its open to abuse.
I think this is something which deserves more discussion, and maybe it is being discussed on teh editorial list, but I'm not on that, nor do I want to be - so I don't think me giving opinions on what should or shouldn't be done is fair.
One of the biggest flaws on this site is that whenever a press statement or news story is put up by Young Fine Gael, it attracts trolls who only wish to engage in abuse and re-hashing ancient history.
I was under the impression that this site was for news, and was not a bulleting board, but this is all that it is.
Look at any YFG press release, and you'll see some one attacking YFG for the Blueshirts or for being in the pay of corporations or something else. these 'comments' have nothing to do with adding news or analysis, and are in the purest form, trolling.
I take it that it is my response that you are referring to with your "Left wing trolls" baloney re. your pathetic call for "park and ride" facilities for car-owners ?
Don't bother replying to any of the rebuffs and suggestions made, just dismiss them as trolling. Little wonder that your nasty little party is heading down the electoral shit chute.
You have to differentiate between justified criticism and trolling, and I'm not too sure that you don't fall into the latter category yourself.
take a look at the park and ride thread - how many comments there throw any light on the subject?,
I've been called a troll many a time on Indymedia for disagreeing with certain things.
for example I didn't agree with the bin tax protests so I was called a troll many times for my "lack of solidarity ".
I was giving out about certain protesters that were chucking things at the police and was labelled a troll .
it is pathetic of some people to point the finger and call people trolls for failing to toe the party line .
Loads of the bored bratty trolling scum seem to come from www.boards.ie
They'd get banned there if they tried posting the same shit as they do here.
And what happens if people vote to allow 'cabhog' et all full and unhindered access like the next guy?
i can see its easier for you to blame "big brother" than accept any point of view that differs
i got accused of being a troll on a different thread simply because i asked an obvious question about the topic
listen believe whatever you want... but to me it seems that indy media is as biased to the left as something like fox news is to the right
if youre not able to deal with reasonable questioning, go away, just go away
I was going to comment on this thread, but I was afraid of being called a troll.
Ruairi,
Why shouldn't I be allowed full access to this site?
Oh, I forgot, I am a troll.
Once we were Menshiviks, then Trotskyites, then agents in the pay of capitalism, then we were Nazis, followed by Trotskites, Titoists, Stalinists, and then revisionists.
Today we are trolls.
Nice to see that the left change the name but never the tatics.
Trolls is what they are... those who have nothing constructive to say on this site or anywhere. But that is the nature of free speech - even trolls can have their troll say in troll language. Fortunately, most people can spot a troll a mile away and be amused by their silly ways.
That picture of a troll is useful for spotting them in public too..
Interstingly, much of the mainstream media has trolls who are PAID to say their troll sayings... dear oh dear. They are everywhere.
Troll away Trolls. Trolls of the world unite, you only have your silly Troll ways to lose...
Perhaps its time to purge the site of counter-revoluntionary thought.
Maybe a show-trial to get some confessions from spies and saboteurs .
At last! A man who speaks of true things!
A purge would be excellent - ah! the old days, what larks.
If we are to wait until these incompetent ultra leftist fools get their act together we will never get the opportunity to do again as we once did - those glorious days after 1918 when we could do as we pleased armed with the magnificent criminal code of the workers state!
So comrades - I say to you - never mind the revolution, let's just have the purge! The SP has already shown us the way.
PS. All very well expelling Throne and Connolly and the other whateverites but they walk around!, they speak! what kind of Bolsheviks are you!!!!
How can you say this when your views and presentation are so lacking in socialist realism. The chief attention of the comment must be directed towards the conquering, progressive principles of reality, towards those heroic, bright, and beautiful traits which distinguish the spiritual world of indymedia and which must be embodied in artistic images full of beauty and life-affirming strength.
How about a Reply to Just Criticism?
-
* Anonymous attention-seeking: The troll seeks to dominate the thread by inciting anger, and effectively hijacking the topic at hand.
* Amusement: To some people, the thought of a person getting angry over statements from total strangers is entertaining.
* Cry for help: Many so-called trolls, in their postings, indicate disturbing situations regarding family, relationships, substances, and school--although it is impossible to know whether this is just simply part of the troll. Some believe that trolling is an aggressive, confrontational way by which trolls seek a sort of tough love guidance in an anonymous forum.
* Self-proclaimed trolls and their defenders suggest that trolling is a clever way of improving discussion, or an alternative method of viewing power relations on large public wikis.
* Wasting others' time: One of the greatest themes in trolling is the idea that you can spend one minute of your time posting a troll, causing 10 other people to waste ten minutes of their time, more or catalytically affecting lots of other people. Most trolls enjoy the idea that they wasted others time at comparatively little effort on their behalf.
* Domino effect: Related to amusement, but a more specific fashion: starting large chain reactions in response to one's initial post. Achieving a disproportionately large response to a small action is the general theme. This is similar to how a young child that goes missing (but is actually hiding) may act with glee, seeing a large number of people conducting a massive search in response to the supposed disappearance.
* Effect change in user opinions: A troll may state extreme positions to make his or her actual beliefs seem moderate (This often involves sock puppeteering, where the bad cop is a sock-puppet troll.) or, alternatively, play the role of Devil's advocate to strengthen opposing convictions [with which he or she usually actually agrees].
* Test the integrity of a system against social attacks or other forms of misbehavior: For example, blatantly violating terms-of-use in order to see whether any action is taken by the site administrators.
* Overcome feelings of inferiority or powerlessness by getting the experience of controlling an environment.
* Self-promotion
* Fight "groupthink": Many trolls defend their actions as, when a sort of conformism settles, shocking people out of it. Whether the person in question is labeled a troll on not often depends on the reactions of a forum's users towards the person's 'trolling'
* Satire: In these cases, the individuals do not think of themselves as trolls, but misunderstood humorists or political commentators.
* Personal attacks against one particular user or group of users
* Lowering signal to noise ratio: On Slashdot, points that could be used to moderate up interesting things get wasted on moderating down things like ASCII pictures of the goatse man. This lowers the quality of comments at certain thresholds.
* It is possible that they are using the perceived anonymity of the Internet as a platform to test an alternate persona.
* In cases of small or relatively new forums, a troll might attempt to cause such a stir that the existing users are driven away until the forum is either empty or has lost a significant number of users.
It is difficult to gauge the motivations of trolls, since most of the justifications offered by alleged trolls for their behavior are nothing more than ruses concocted to continue whatever mischief they imagine themselves to have started. This is unfortunate because, as the above list supposes, there are legitimate reasons for engaging in the sort of actions for which trolling is known. Still, etiquette is simple and straightforward enough that most people can advance the aims professed by self-exculpatory trolls without actually resorting to these methods. Since there is a wide spectrum of possible motivations for trolls, some of these functions being benevolent and others, clearly malevolent, to typecast users as trolls in the negative sense is often rash.
Literature on conflict resolution suggests that labeling participants in Internet discussions as trolls can perpetuate the unwanted behaviors. A person rejected by a social group, both online and offline, may assume an antagonistic role toward it, and seek to further annoy or anger members of the group. The "troll" label, often a sign of social rejection, may therefore perpetuate trolling.
Better results normally ensue when users take the moderator role and describe more constructive behaviors in a non-judgmental, non-confrontational way. Trolls are excited by trollhunters and frustrated by ignorers, and neither of these emotions produce positive results for the forum. Engaging trolls results in "flame wars". Trolls frustrated by the "ignore strategy" may leave the forum (and either troll elsewhere, or become constructive users) or may become progressively more inflammatory until they get a response.
Novice trolls may experience troll's remorse, a feeling of regret after losing their account (whether it be from an Internet service provider or from a website) as a consequence of their trolling.
from-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
...I think indymedia trolls come from pain old sectarian motives, someone from one group or party writes something and an anon troll makes attacks, trying to derail the story, score points or make the other group look bad. I suspect some of them are basically immature kids who like all kids their age know absolutely everything. I think some members of SY and some of the newer anarchists seem to be the worst. Although I don't think there's a party that could say no members have engaged. Nothing really to be done about it except ignore them. I think indymedia will always have a certain amount of nonsense on it (not unlike the Herald!) but we can all edit it out. And it doesn't seem to be as bad as it used to be.
hi, first post on indymedia, though have used chatrooms and have found some people new to the communication media 'trollish' by the defenitions you have given but have never heard the term before.
probably a bit trollish myself to begin but 'have gotten over it' . . . . as I have seen others new to the method do also over time ' not long generally' . . . personally I think it a very negative thing to label anyone at any time though I also know as an air breathin flawed human this is impossible. this is after all still a very new medium taken for granted by a few , though widely used its not in the domain of the average joe (scuse label) just yet....
do find though from other chat sites that do not engage in such weighty material as you do here ignoring twitish behaviour seems best often with a word to the wise . . . . I guess the ones here are above that ?
Their comments are short and meaningless. Their comments are long and meaningless. There are professional trolls. There are accidental trolls. There are editorial trolls. There are rambling, article writing, pompous trolls. There are witty, to-the-point trolls. There are irritating, nuisance trolls. There are multiple-personality trolls. There are too many SWP trolls. There is even a Garda troll. Mostly, though, trolls are those who do not agree with you.