moon_custafer: ominous shape of Dr. Mabuse (curtain)
moon_custafer ([personal profile] moon_custafer) wrote2018-09-18 05:21 pm
Entry tags:

Work Griping

 My colleague (Admin) asked me, a few minutes towards the end of today, to make up “eight or so fake email addresses, male, North-American-sounding names.” 
“You want burner accounts.”
”Yes.”
”That’s interesting,” I said, wondering if we were going to sign in to chat rooms to see what potential customers are looking for in a product, or to send inquiries to other manufacturers to see how they reply to consumers. Then she told me it so we can post reviews of our products.

I don’t know whether this is her idea, or handed down from higher up. I don’t think they can fire me for refusing to make up the accounts. I don’t know. I’m also a bit unsure what to think of myself, because I was not particularly fazed by the idea of making up burner accounts, but I’m uneasy about using them as sock-puppet accounts. I suppose I feel spying on semi-public situations is ok, but directly interfering isn’t? Maybe I’m also just suspicious that if I agree to make the accounts, I’ll then be the person asked to post the fake reviews (in terms of who claims to be posting them, even if the actual information about the products is all factual). It’s not like I haven’t done dodgy things in the past (I claimed a stock photo for our intended boardroom poster was for “personal” rather than corporate use, so we’d only have to pay $20 instead of $300). But this really feels like a slippery slope.
sovay: (PJ Harvey: crow)

[personal profile] sovay 2018-09-18 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe I’m also just suspicious that if I agree to make the accounts, I’ll then be the person asked to post the fake reviews (in terms of who claims to be posting them, even if the actual information about the products is all factual).

I would definitely be worried about you being the person left holding the bag, if so.
kore: (Default)

[personal profile] kore 2018-09-18 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
?!?

WTF, I didn't think that was legal?
stardreamer: Meez headshot (Default)

[personal profile] stardreamer 2018-09-18 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree, this is ethically dodgy as hell and when it comes to light (which it will!), your company will have a black eye and you'll be the scapegoat. See if you can find some stories about people posting sockpuppet reviews on Amazon and hand them to your admin, to give them some evidence of just how bad an idea this is.
sabotabby: (jetpack)

[personal profile] sabotabby 2018-09-19 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
I thought the cyberpunk future was going to be a lot less sad and dreary.
thisbluespirit: (Dracula)

[personal profile] thisbluespirit 2018-09-19 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, that's pretty dodgy. I would be feeling very wary/unwilling to!! 0_o