https://apnews.com/bc2f19097a4c4fffaa00de6770b8a60d
By Raphael Satter
AP
June 13, 2019
LONDON (AP) -- Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into Washington’s political
scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a
who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings
Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a
deputy assistant secretary of state, a senior aide to a senator and the
economist Paul Winfree, who is being considered for a seat on the Federal
Reserve.
But Katie Jones doesn’t exist, The Associated Press has determined.
Instead, the persona was part of a vast army of phantom profiles lurking
on the professional networking site LinkedIn. And several experts
contacted by the AP said Jones’ profile picture appeared to have been
created by a computer program.
“I’m convinced that it’s a fake face,” said Mario Klingemann, a German
artist who has been experimenting for years with artificially generated
portraits and says he has reviewed tens of thousands of such images. “It
has all the hallmarks.”
Experts who reviewed the Jones profile’s LinkedIn activity say it’s
typical of espionage efforts on the professional networking site, whose
role as a global Rolodex has made it a powerful magnet for spies.
[...]
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