TropicalDingdong comments on I don't like it, but I don't make the rules

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

Yeah its interesting. It seems like even finding pii would require more technology than a standard newsroom has access to.

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[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net [S] 5 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

Really? You think so? I could be wrong, but that doesn't seem at all the case to me.

First, I think a lot of this is just skill. You dig around in the stuff that's publicly known, find usernames and links to old bios, and then start searching for those usernames on every social media site to see if a unique handle appears on OkCupid, PornHub, etc.

Second, on the resource side, there are tons of data brokers that have a ton of info on all of us. You don't think CNN has $50 to drop on a file filled with tracking data on a senate candidate? I think even broke local newsrooms have access to license plate reader data and leaked medical records and a ton of super personal info. I don't think they tend to use it, because a lot of them are understaffed and it's less cost-effective than just writing up local police blotters and whatever appears on Nextdoor. But I don't think it's hard to get this stuff at all.

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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

But I don’t think it’s hard to get this stuff at all.

Okay, then show me: If its just that easy, find my old reddit account.

You are here on lemmy. That means you are EASILY more technically competent than 97% of the staff at any given newsroom in the US. And I know for a fact I'm an easily doxx-able account.

I've built tools like this and have some knowledge of the price for API's that give these kinds of access. The API's you are imagining to exist (and a few do) are priced at the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollar per month. There are minimum purchases. Like you don't even get basic access without getting to price points in the hundreds of thousands. And even then, you need skilled operators, technicians, and programmers to build around those API's to get the kinds of information you are looking for.

I think you are massively underestimating the technical skills and overestimating availability of the tools required to do these things.

What I would suggest is that this information came through the work of a private investigation outfit; a contractor that specializes in this kind of work. I also don't think its coincidence that the governor also announced their candidacy for Senate on the same day. I would guess that someone "in the know" had a PI outfit building this profile and released the information to CNN to try and sabotage GP. Not necessarily someone in the office, but some one with knowledge of the plan and independent funding to carry out the work.

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[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net [S] 2 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

Well maybe I'm wrong then. FWIW, you sound confident and credible to me.

I do agree that it seems obvious that this was sent to CNN by Janet Mills rather than discovered in house. I was just saying that I think this kind of research is easy enough for CNN to do that they could, but I agree that based on the timing of Mills' entrance into the race and the fact that I just don't really expect places like CNN to be that proactive that, yeah, this was absolutely sent to them in an email that probably looked like: "Subject: Anonymous bombshell tip! ; From: PR@ millsforsenate. com"

I'm curious how it works out. Attacking a guy running as an outsider in Maine for being pro-worker, pro-gun, and fed up with the system kind of sounds like they're misreading the electorate. Like... don't threaten Mainers with a good time, you know?

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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

Attacking a guy running as an outsider in Maine for being pro-worker, pro-gun, and fed up with the system kind of sounds like they’re misreading the electorate. Like… don’t threaten Mainers with a good time, you know?

Yeah. I totally agree. And, full disclosure, I was in a zoom with Graham last night (an organization I volunteer/ organize with is going to endorse him, and this is a huge hint for your doxxing effort). And I did try to directly ask him about this, but I was late to the zoom and couldn't get my question in. He also seemed pretty rattled.

These kinds of "attacks" aren't going to stop and I think its a strategic mistake to apologize, depending on where you are at in the candidate cycle. Graham caught on leaning into the kinds of things he said in his reddit account, not leaning away from them. And the best model for that who found great success in doing so is the, now meteoric, Zohran Mamdani.

Zohran didn't lean away from calling Israels actions a genocide: he leaned into it. And he made political hay in doing so). Graham isn't wrong in saying that there have been no demonstrated diplomatic solutions to fascism: so don't back down from the statement.

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[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net [S] 3 points 1 year ago*

Good for you, and thanks for doing all that! I won't prescribe a specific strategy, but for what it's worth: as soon as I read the news about this today, I went and donated $10.

I already liked him, but I don't just throw $10 at everyone I like. But I saw this and immediately wanted his campaign to see strong fundraising this week and get the message that they don't need to worry about this kind of thing.

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