Bloggers And Sock Puppets

The Boston Globe has a story today about how bloggers are becoming increasingly concerned about comments and posts which originate from political operatives acting on behalf (or against) a particular candidate or issue. These Sock Puppets have been around for a while, but with the ever-increasing use of the Internet by politicians (and a record number of people citing the Web as their primary source for news), it's no surprise that this type of behavior is becoming more prevalent.

The Internet has already become a prime target for such manipulation. Tom Rosenstiel , the director of Project for Excellence in Journalism , said the growing influence of political blogs, combined with the relative ease of posting negative information anonymously, make them "irresistible for dirty tricks and attack politics."