Pro-port PR machine creates ‘fake’ FB pages

| 26/11/2019 | 36 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): The public relations companies and pro-port supporters are going all out on social media to create the impression of a ‘yes’ movement to compete with the genuine activists that have pulled together the ‘vote no’ coalition that is now literally thousands strong. The specially created fake Facebook profiles are using names such as Voice for Port, Cruise Berthing Facility and Cayman 2025 — not unlike the premier’s own new social media platform Caymanians 2025.

This profiles are then used as conduits for the pro-port lobby to post on the social media pages of individuals and local environmental movements and activist groups that are campaigning against the cruise berth project.

These pro-port FB pages all appear to have been created by the same person or organisations and are carrying the same pro-port government images, videos and propaganda.

The posts being made by the fake profiles also tend to be anti-foreigner and claim that Cayman needs the port to save it from overseas investors and retain local jobs, among other talking points, all of which are being pushed by government.

While both the government and those opposing the referendum are engaging in public meetings and using more traditional methods of advertising on radio and in the media, the referendum campaign is unfolding largely on social media. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media platforms are providing a place where people are exchanging views.

But it seems clear that people are quickly able to recognise the contrived posts or ‘bots’ and ‘trolls’ that are being deployed in an effort to create the impression of a grassroots campaign in favour of the project, which in reality has failed to materialise.


Share your vote!


How do you feel after reading this?
  • Fascinated
  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Angry
  • Bored
  • Afraid
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Tags: , ,

Category: Local News, Media

Comments (36)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    Fake leaders producing fake arguments on fake Facebook pages. Just another day in Buffoonistan.

    3
    1
    • Operator 109 says:

      I still say this whole matter is the works of the CPR, who have said” I can assure you this Port Project will not go ahead” “ I will do everything in my power to stop it”.

      On Rooster and in street conversations they say.

      2
      2
      • Concerned Diver says:

        Ha ha ha ha…. you must be off your rocker mate! One of the pro port propaganda artists no doubt!

        1
        1
  2. Anonymous says:

    Clean the politrickling slate, enact SPIL now!

    14
    1
  3. J|) says:

    For the record, our group has no ties to CIG, CPR or Verdant.

    194
    2
  4. Anonymous says:

    What I see happening here is pure,unadulterated bureaucratic harassment!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=derikGAEE9g

    Mac and Alden foes just a few years ago..now birds of a feather and we thought McKeeva was bad . Alden with the public purse is ten times worse..He doesn’t need a credit card..

    21
    2
  5. Anonymous says:

    I guess only the civil servants in the Ministry of Tourism and the Port Director are allowed to “Like” this page

    Deputy Governor, are you watching this

    20
    1
  6. Anonymous says:

    Again, we see PR companies floundering.

    Clearly, they cannot run the businesses they have because they don’t understand social media engagement.

    All they have done is muddy the already milky waters.

    Confusing and desensitizing their audience with bots, fake pages, stock pictures and redirect.

    This is not what social media is about – the things they are doing fly in the face of engagement and knowledge sharing in 2019.

    They are getting paid big dollars to be snake oil salespeople, ruining their own brands and reputations along the way.

    Someone FOI how much they have been paid to be spin doctors.

    While CPR show their faces, the people in those companies are no where to be seen supporting the port.

    Just keyboard warriors, making fake pages, with fake people, and rice paper stories.

    35
    12
    • Anonymous says:

      Anyone using social media for commercial purposes needs to understand you get maybe 2 or 3 posts a week, any more than that, and it’s too much noise and “followers” will “mute” or “unfollow” the account. I am happy to see these goons posting 5-10 things a day to their peak subscription of 157 employees/followers. Sad.

      12
      2
      • Anonymous says:

        I guess that is one way of looking at it?

        But the other way of looking at it is that the CIG are squandering your hard earned money to these, so called, social media/PR companies who sit all day and play games on social media, twisting and bending things to suit their agenda.

        It’s a crime.

        It’s highway robbery.

        26
        2
  7. Anonymous says:

    We need Cambridge analytica

    9
    6
  8. Anonymous says:

    Shameless

    13
    1
  9. Ambassador of Absurdistan says:

    Just Another Day in Absurdistan

    10
    1
  10. Anonymous says:

    Desperate and just plain stupid by Alden and his band of merry men. They have no shame.

    18
    2
  11. Thanks CNS. says:

    Thank you for reporting this CNS. The people need about the tactics being used. That anti-foreigner ploy has been used by politicians to twist Caymanian minds for 30 years.

    27
    1
  12. Anonymous says:

    Are the Russians meddling in our election?

    12
    1
  13. Anonymous says:

    Isn’t this an abuse of FB policy? Someone should report all the pages (it’s easy to do) get them pulled down by FB.

    49
    2
    • Anonymous says:

      Policy? Facebook only wants money. Mark Zuckerberg and his company are a scourge on democracy and common human decency. Delete it if they will even allow you.

      10
      1
  14. Anon says:

    In years to come should the piers be built, god forbid, history will record for posterity the names of all those responsible for destroying our country.. They will be elevated not as National Heroes, but as icons in our National Hall of Shame.

    89
    3
    • Anonymous says:

      I know who should be named as National Heroes, every single member of the National Trust board. Those people made the right decision about the Judicial Review and I am sure it was not an easy one.

      Who on the board anyway? I want to shake their hand.

      44
      5
      • Anonymous says:

        The board of the National Trust is made up of both elected and co-opted members. The elected members are named on the Trust site but not the co-opted ones. At least I didn’t see them there.

        9
        2
  15. Kurt Christian says:

    Vote No

    90
    5
  16. Anonymous says:

    It would be funny if it weren’t our public money they’re spending on this crap.

    86
    3
  17. Anonymous says:

    Another good reason not to use FB? It’s been a complete crock from day one.

    57
    4

Leave a Reply to Operator 109 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.