Now here’s an interesting tale. … can anyone provide a decent explanation?
Over on one of the (official) YouTube films from the Liberal Democrats there is this comment from someone:
Okay, realistically we’re not going to win though. Especially since the Tories have just received 5 defecting Councillors from Labour. Don’t quite know how they’ve done it, but the Tories have stolen a march on us this time.
With phrases such as “us” this is clearly written as if from a Liberal Democrat member or supporter.
But according to YouTube the comment was posted by a “GrantShapps” (look just above the comment for the name), which is the name of the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, Shadow Housing Minister and their Ealing Southall by-election campaign supremo.
A forged name perhaps? Except that click on the name and it takes you through to Grant Shapps’s genuine YouTube profile: http://uk.youtube.com/user/GrantShapps
And yes, I know it is his genuine YouTube account because it is the one linked to from his own website, http://www.shapps.com/
I know that on Blogger you can post a comment and make it look like it really was posted by someone else, but that doesn’t seem possible on YouTube. To post under a particular name, you have to really be logged in with that name and password.
What’s the story here then?
Well, bear in mind that YouTube tells you at the top of the page who you are logged in as, but if you are at the comment box on a video and ready to type in a comment, there’s no reminder next to the box as to who you are logged in as, nor is there a username/password box there.
So it would be possible to make a comment, thinking it was anonymous or that you were logged in as someone else, and overlook that you are really, er…, you. That would be a bit silly wouldn’t it, but how else do you end up with a comment appearing under Grant Shapps’s name?
I’m a generous soul, so I’m willing to listen to an innocent explanation for all this. Can anyone reasonably explain away why Grant Shapps appears to be trying to pass himself off as a Liberal Democrat? (And Grant, if you’re reading this, happy for you to post an explanation in the Comments).
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Ha-ha! Nice one, Mark “Sherlock” Pack!
Bang to rights!
I was told yesterday that Grant Shapps was the Tory expert in e-campaigning.
*fx: falls off chair laughing*
He’s probably right, but they will certainly beat the Lib Dems which is what this is all about.
Very revealing comment from M there. It’s essentially
“Vote Tony Lit for second place – we care more about beating the Lib Dems.”
I imagine that one won’t be making it onto your campaign literature.
Crikey, another Labour councillor’s gone.
Perhaps they should glue the rest of them to their seats, just in case…
What a stupid plonker!
I think Shapps new nickname ought to be Dirty Des.
Rather in line with all this, there have been some recent comments on this thread and others from people claiming to be Liberal Democrat members but who appear really to be activists from another party.
If your comment has been moderated by mistake, and you are really who you say you are but your comment hasn’t appeared, just get in touch to say so.
Do you mean moderated or censored, Mark?!
“Very revealing comment from M there”
I have nothing to do with the campaign, just telling it how I see it.
If people are no who they claim to be, then ‘moderated’ is definitely the right word, Edward.
Keep a tally of those IP addresses, Mark.
Excellent catch on Shapps, BTW. (This is me looking an your enormous fish and being all jealous like.)
M: Surely you can see – especially given recent developments – that your words carry very little weight if there is no established identity behind them.
OK, it’s true, I am Grant Shapps. All is revealed!
I’m Grant Shapps, and so’s my wife.
M: That’s not what I said or even suggested. Please don’t waste my time with false absolutes.
That would be most disappointing: all this time I thought I was reading a website full of Liberal Democrat activists, and then it turns out that all of them were Grant Shapps talking to himself…
Apart from me, obviously.
I see Shapps has sent Tim Ireland an e-mail:
“Grant Shapps claims that his account was accessed by person or persons unknown because his password was set to “a rather too guessable ’1234′” (since changed).”
E-campaigning guru indeed! Does anyone find this in the slightest bit credible?
Ah! Hello, Joe. Just popped over to add this.
I’m not buying it, myself… but I can see why Grant would prefer that people thought him to be a simple moron as opposed to a duplicitous one.
I doubt the Tories will want any sort of moron running their election campaigns.
This will cause some disquiet in their camp – especially now Guido is laughing at them too…
This sounds like a schoolboy-ish made-up excuse. He’s been caught red-handed. Iain Dale is a lot more understanding than when he happily blogged about Shapps’s nonsense accusations about LibDems paying for poster sites. Typical Tories: utterly shameless!
Anyone know the ID of the ‘Sunglassed Twat’ as yet? He’s gotta be feeling pretty paranoid right now. He could be the next Arlene! LOL. Track him, Specially Rendite him, Shame him and the his Top Asto-Turder Shapps.
What about this challenge to Grant Shapps? Demand that he ask YouTube to investigate the IP address from where this was sent.
Anyone tried 1234 as the password on any of Shapps’ other sites yet?
Just wondrin’ is all…
CCHQ are digging themselves a nice hole here:
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/07/shapps-denies-astroturfing-allegations.html
Claiming that he knew for two days that his account had been compromised. And yet their e-campaigning wizard didn’t think to change his password earlier…
As they keep digging, the Tories seem intent on piling lies upon lies on this one
|N|B|W|: I have one candidate, but I’m waiting to confirm:
http://www.bathcf.co.uk/author/chris/
Stuart: I have already asked Grant if he intends to pursue the phantom account user… what possible reason could he have not to?
What reason might he have not to chase up the person?
Err, a by-election to win perhaps!
A thousand other more important jobs to do!
Plus do you really think YouTube are going to be bothered to start investigating something without police involvement? And do you think the police are going to care!
YAWN!
Hello to the Tory sock-puppet known as ‘GA’.
If Grant could prove someone from one of the opposing parties was behind this, he would be in a far better position on all fronts… and it would take him but a minute to put the wheels in motion.
Besides, Google has close, if indirect, ties with the Tory Party… I’m sure their YT arm could spare a few minutes for the Vice-Chairman.
(PS – Please cover your mouth when you yawn.)
As James Graham has noted on Bloggerheads, how do we know this email really came from Grant Shapps? What if that account was compromised too? How can we ever be sure now?
Well, Iain Dale the well-known political ‘commentator’ has confirmed the denial and sides with Shapps – so I guess we at least know who we *can’t* trust.
Sorry to spoil your fun Tim, but the guy in the video is not me – though he does look very similar to myself which worries me slightly…
Just for amusement.
An anagram of Grant Shapps is:
PR Shag pants
If someone hacked Grant Shapps YouYube account they must have been politically motivated to have done this.
They weren’t very imaginative though – could have done some things much more damaging!
More damaging than pretending to be a Lib Dem using your own name?
Perhaps this phantom also set up the lottery for poster displayers that old Iain Dale was on abaht?
Has now made the Times:
“Not a good day for Grant Shapps, MP (Welwyn Hatfield, C). Shapps, presently helping the Tory effort in the Ealing Southall by-election, appeared to have logged on to the Liberal Democrats’ local YouTube page and pretended to be one of them, commiserating on their impending defeat, and seemingly forgetting that he was logged in under his own usual YouTube account, under the login name “GrantShapps”. Following much ridicule, Conservative Central Office now insists that Shapps was innocent and his account was hacked. By whom? Why? “
Chris: Would you mind awfully repeating that denial by email? Just so I can know it’s really Chris Palmer who delivered it. Cheers.
Just for the record, ‘Chris’ never got back to me.