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Sarkozy's 'cyber spin doctor' sparks wrath on the web

news.yahoo.com — The French blogosphere is abuzz with outrage and derision over a 24-year-old appointed by Nicolas Sarkozy to keep an eye on what is being said about the president on the World Wide Web. He is "in charge of monitoring what is circulating on the Web about the president of the republic: blogs, news sites, videos ... just as one might do for a traditio

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  • lucidguru, on 03/21/2008, -7/+24heh heh, let the idiots try to stop the internet... They will lose just as countless others have lost before.
    • precision256, on 03/21/2008, -3/+6The proletariat will rise ...
    • ufia, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6China is getting a kick out of your comment.
    • tuntcickle, on 03/22/2008, -0/+2there's nothing in that article about trying to stop the internet...
    • testcase, on 03/23/2008, -0/+1More hysteria. This is a non-story. Actually, no, the real story is the story behind the story...

      By that I mean, the President of France has sent everyone a message, saying that he is actively interested and listening to public opinion. In other words, he clearly gives a ***** what we think. Yet the predominant reaction from the Internet? A monster wave of fear, paranoia, and threats of retaliation. WTF?

      Seriously... let's smarten up! The President of France has the police and Interpol already combing the Internet for threats and other such nonsense. This is something else entirely!

      When we go off half-cocked, we are acting like an unthinking mob. Too many of us are not using our heads, or worse, promoting the cause of Anarchy through the Destruction of Everything. We have to learn how to stop reacting hysterically, and learn how to engage the real world more constructively. Otherwise we will never learn how to use this new-found power of ours to end wars and bring about anything like the better world most of us say we want.
  • MrColdheart, on 03/21/2008, -2/+13keep in mind he just might check here...
    :)))
    • fearlessfx, on 03/21/2008, -5/+13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......
      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IT'S A TRAP!. . .
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      • haydesigner, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1Quickly blocked.
      • Tuxbunta, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Mon Calamari? Cool. I am reading I, Jedi right now.

        Anyway, I really don't see what the problem is. I am sure he has people watching the printed press for whatever is said about him too. Big f***ing surprise. I would also assume every single politician of worth would care about what is being said about him on notable sites, or else they will sooner or later be blindsided.
    • ufia, on 03/21/2008, -0/+5If he is going to check here, I should to point out that... j'ai niqué la mère de sarko, elle baise mieux que Carla.
    • Jaliyl, on 03/21/2008, -1/+11***** you Sarkozy, also I wanna ***** your wife.
    • krnldmp, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Why.
  • BigManOnCampus, on 03/21/2008, -2/+27Is this guy only appointed to monitor what is being said about Sarkozy on the web? What's wrong with that?
    • atorch, on 03/21/2008, -0/+18He is "in charge of monitoring what is circulating on the Web about the president of the republic: blogs, news sites, videos ... just as one might do for a traditional press review," explained an advisor at the Elysée.

      If that's true, I don't see what the problem is. Are we really talking about a "spin doctor?" Cause if all the guy does is say, "Dude, Sarko, the intertubes are making fun of you. Again," then I don't really care.
    • GoldenPearl, on 03/21/2008, -0/+4Nothing is wrong with it.

      Journalists lie and make stuff up to make others look bad so people keep buying their tabloids
    • StGhurka, on 03/22/2008, -0/+3So Sarkozy hired a media monitoring service. Stop the damned presses.

      I bet all politicians use them. Sarkozy just hired 1 guy instead of PR Newswire. BFD

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_monitoring_serv ...
    • dash1185, on 03/22/2008, -4/+2While I agreee that there is nothing wrong with the official job description, you have to read what is behind the words. Sarkozy is well known for manipulating the media (some articles a bit too harsh on him were censored during the presidential campaign, people got fired for unveiling parts of his private life, almost all the media owners are among his best friends). The journalists on yahoo over-sensationnalized the whole thing, but the point is that it is important to show that people remain alert instead of doing nothing and stupidly saying "what is wrong with that". This is part of what happened in the US.
  • loup226, on 03/21/2008, -7/+2cool dugg it . good story
  • guillebravo, on 03/21/2008, -5/+1You can't stop this!
  • ritubpant, on 03/21/2008, -9/+3so the freedom of speech doesn't apply to the bloggers?
  • lucutus, on 03/21/2008, -10/+3Nicolas Sarkozy wins one big can of FALE. This story will probably stimulate even more web postings that are negative or critical of him.
  • Spoomeister, on 03/21/2008, -0/+11Attn, Mssr. Nicolas Princen:
    J'espère que vous allez bien, et que vous surveillez l'Internet simplement au séjour informé. Si vous essayez de recueillir l'information pour intimider ou des personnes de censeur, cela ne fonctionnera pas pour très longtemps. Si vous mordez l'Internet, il mordra en arrière. Si vous doutez de cela, essayant en utilisant Google pour rechercher "anonyme" et "Scientology".
    Amour, L'Internet.
    • nationalist, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1i prefer espangol
      Espero que vaya bien, y que supervisa el Internet simplemente a la estancia informada. Si intentan recoger la información para intimidar o a personas de censor, eso no funcionará para mucho tiempo. Si muerden Internet, morderá detrás. Si dudan de eso, intentando utilizando Google para buscar "anónimo" y "Scientologia". Amor, el Internet.
      • Sidzilla, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Attn, Mssr. Nicolas Princen:
        Ich hoffe, daß du gut, und Sie überwachen das Internet nur zum Aufenthalt informiert. Wenn Sie versuchen, Informationen zu erfassen, um einzuschüchtern oder Personen, Zensor, funktioniert es nicht für sehr lange Zeit. Wenn Sie das Internet beißen, beißt er zurück. Wenn Sie sich nicht sicher sind, das, die versuchen, mit Hilfe von Google "Aktiengesellschaft" und "Scientology".
        Liebe, das Internet.
    • GoldenPearl, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1I prefer English or Portuguese, but I don't understand what you two are saying. Whatever you're saying is probably good though
    • blackjack75, on 03/22/2008, -0/+3Dear America,
      please teach your kids to write at least one foreign language correctly and not through a miserable google translation. I might help with that international relations problem...

      (for those who didn't notice both the french and the spanish in the comments above are terribly wrong)
  • paperclipsNsoup, on 03/21/2008, -7/+2Whats the big deal, the US has been doing it for years.

    /sarcasm
    • Spudster, on 03/22/2008, -0/+3You don't have to be sarcastic. They HAVE been doing it for years. I work in political campaigns and if you think this doesn't happen then you are very naive.
      • paperclipsNsoup, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1the 'whats the big deal' is the sarcasm
  • Homerr, on 03/21/2008, -4/+6Bush obviously doesn't have one of these guys and has no clue what the internets are for.
  • formergthing, on 03/21/2008, -4/+18O RLY? Wow - people trying to monitor negative things being said about them on the Internet. I've never considered such a thing ever happened ever. What a world.

    [buried for retardation]
  • Mesmorize, on 03/21/2008, -2/+6Because having a PR person for new media is a bad idea on Digg!
    • laserblazer, on 03/21/2008, -4/+2PR Man is one thing... snitch is another.
      • Spudster, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Snitch? How is he a snitch? All this guy is doing is telling Sarkozy what the online community is saying about him. The only effect I can see coming out of this appointment is that the French government will try to cater to some of the criticisms posted by these French bloggers.
  • TheFinaleofSeem, on 03/21/2008, -2/+9So what? If he's not trying to enforce anything or constantly post spin and propaganda on these blogs, what's the big damn deal? Sounds like a good way for the president to monitor a segment of public opinion and address criticism. But of course, the blogosphere is full of knee-jerking dolts who will put the worst possible spin on this.
    • Spudster, on 03/22/2008, -0/+2Tell me about it. To be honest I'm shocked that Sarkozy is only NOW doing this. I work in political campaigns and I can promise you that all parties keep a keen attention on the online blogospheres already. To me Sarkozy is just catching up to the rest of the political world by hiring this guy.
  • 1randomguyO8, on 03/21/2008, -9/+5Yes, Sarkozy your penis that small.
  • mfingers, on 03/21/2008, -2/+6Thanks for reading this Sarkozy & best of luck with Carla Bruni.
  • ackermannc, on 03/21/2008, -2/+1Sarko apparently knows not of Digg and of how folks like his such as littlegreenfootballs got smacked into a corner for trying the same thing. At least it'll be nice to watch openness triumph over the walled garden again.
  • smacksaw, on 03/21/2008, -0/+7Hey, tell your master that his support for that French RIAA ***** is going to guarantee his party continues to lose seats as tech-savvy French voters reject your *****.

    Fuque the RIAA
    • Pixelante, on 03/22/2008, -1/+1I hate to break it to you, but the recent losses suffered by the French Right are in no way connected to the "tech-savvy" French voters who have no political relevance whatsoever. People are simply afraid of the "reforms" Sarkozy's party wants to enact that would spell the end of many privileges for workers.
      Nobody cares about your precious interweb. Nobody. Internet users are a political zero. Deal with it. If a politician were to promise jobs for everybody on condition that the internet be closed, he would be voted in.
      • Spudster, on 03/22/2008, -0/+3I would disagree with you. While the tech savvy blogosphere IS a relatively weak political force in numbers, they have a powerful ability to by trend set the political mind of the internet. For example in Canada, when a bunch of prominent bloggers opposed the recent DMCA law being introduced, it got a lot of political attention through the public on sites like Facebook. Eventually the media recognized it and the Canadian government revoked the legislation.
  • AzureRise, on 03/21/2008, -3/+5I hope he's reading this. ***** him. And just to piss him off. Here's naked pictures of his wife. http://gaelle.hautetfort.com/archive/2008/03/07/ca ... [NSFW]
    • 1randomguyO8, on 03/22/2008, -1/+0Amen to that Sarkozy is a ***** tool
  • waydee, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6The word blogosphere really, really pisses me off. Of all the ***** internet buzzwords it's surely the worst.
    • Spudster, on 03/22/2008, -0/+4Pshh.. You just need to get with Web 2.0. Any ways, I need to get back to checking my podcasts, torrents and RSS feeds on my Crackberry, if you have any questions about social media, just read the wiki I blogged, it's SFW btw.
    • GhostyBoy, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Netroots is a piss off too.
  • caponumen, on 03/21/2008, -4/+3LOL, "Sarkozy the American"...... clown.
  • krnldmp, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4He always came across to me as some kind of *****-in-the-mouth.
  • Psylo, on 03/22/2008, -3/+2Sarkozy, you & your team are really reading this ? So : "Va te faire enculer, le nabot !" (***** you midget)
  • z00mz00mz00m, on 03/22/2008, -1/+1Sounds like a non-story to me... Like politicians don't have people that read the papers, watch the news, listen to Limbaugh... But of course, the French are up-in-arms!
  • mgnesium, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Like every world leader hasn't had someone watching the papers in their country in decades past? Call me when jack-booted thugs come kicking down your door because you posted "SUCOCKSY BLOWS!!" (in French) on the Internet, then I'll care. It's more likely this guy is just writing up some reports and delivering them to a bunch of analysts and PR reps who then advise Sarkozy to, y'know, not yell at random people, because that looks bad.
  • DogHumpsMonkey, on 03/22/2008, -0/+2It amazes me the way people get their righteous indignation up over the most trivial of non-issues. Here's a news flash for you kids: There's important ***** going on. Focus! Find something of import in the world, research it, pick your side and do something about it. Quit wasting your time and mine with this *****. "Sarkokozy's 'cyber spin doctor' sparks wrath on the web"? They'd need to invent a whole new kind of math to prove how much I don't give a *****.

    I really used to like this site, but lately what floats to the top is more ***** than cream. It takes way too much digging to find the good stories on here lately. End of rant
  • NonServium, on 03/22/2008, -1/+1A government watching what's being said on the web and trying to use psy-op agents to control those conversations? This is tin-foil hat nonsense. Oh, it's the French government? Dugg!
  • Sidzilla, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Pssst. You there, behind the keyboard. Yeah you! They are watching you. Stay very still, and just pretend you are dead. They will go away in a few minutes. Whatever you do, don't say "Sarkozy is a douchebag."
  • camelot2302, on 03/23/2008, -0/+1Nice work if you can get it. But what exactly is he supposed to do? If a blogger criticises the president, what does this "monitor" do to save the day? Leave a comment on Digg?
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