By now you ’ve heard aboutNotre Dame whiz linebacker Mantai Te’o and his fancied net girlfriend . There are a lot of reason and ways that this could have pass . Te’o claims that he was duped and not behind the accounts , but regardless of who is to blame , this was a deep , meticulously plan legerdemain in many respects , and awfully haphazard in others .
https://deadspin.com/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-an-5976517
So let ’s play a thought exercise . If you were going to fabricate a fake human being on the internet , how would you do it ?
Remove All EXIF Data from All Photos of Her
Every pic admit by a modern camera — and yes , that include your cell headphone — contains convertible Image File Format , or EXIF , data . This is metadata that will provide entropy about when , where , and how the picture was take . It will typically carry data point and time , as well as camera place setting , and occasionally copyright info that can be used to determine what eccentric of photographic camera was used . EXIF can also comprise geotagged information , which will display where the photo was taken using your headphone or tv camera ’s Global Positioning System data .
you’re able to take the EXIF data in photoshop by just load the exposure in , pick out Save for Web , and setting Metadata to None . There you go , all done : Any photo of her will be untraceable . That said , for anyone bothering to dig up dirt , the total lack of EXIF datum on all your pic will be a HUGE cherry pin . It ’s a job , but at least you may diminish back on “ I value my privacy , ” or some story like that .
Do Not Give Her a Real Person’s Identity
This should be obvious , since password will always reach back to the original person , but it can be tempting because a real identity will stand up to more advanced vetting . They ’ll exist in registrar and in infirmary records and government records . And if you just come to to vague background detail , and distance the social media account enough , it seems like it can forge . But it just adds one more varying to what ’s already going to be a explosive home of cards . Any thorough review into either a real person ’s steal identicalness or a made up one will belike crock up your scheme , so there ’s no pauperization to put in another variable .
Create as Much History as Possible
This is easy if family and friends are complicit in your fake identity , as you ’ll be able-bodied to make something resembling a real online account . Facebook ’s Timeline and photo backdate feature will help oneself here , since you could edit any Timeline issue or photo to come out as though it was posted at ANY TIME YOU CHOOSE . This is intend to be used for you to create a comprehensive biography - farsighted scrapbook , but it ’s just as well-heeled ( and more likely ) to use it as a means to create a faux narrative — whether about being at some RAD concert , or being at a measure with some friend instead of cheating on your miserable girlfriend who lives with you . Or if you ’re create a mortal out of slender air .
You ’re on your own for Twitter and Instagram , though , so you ’ll probably want some lead time to flesh out those accounts . You ’ll need alibis to interact with them , and hopefully crabbed - post enough that it seems like your Canadian girl actually has a lifespan , and does n’t altogether exist in a vacuum .
Images of Her CANNOT Be Searchable
The first and easiest way to get caught make someone up is to utilize a photo that ’s available on the web — anywhere on the web . No matter how deeply you dig , Google ’s web crawlers toil deeply . Anyone can upload an image or sink a link into Google Image Search and Mountain View ’s electronic hoard will search for standardised - looking pic . It was one of the key ways that Te’o got break .
So you ’re either going to involve to swear on a cache of photos of a human that you know for a fact that have never been on the internet , or have a cooperator in criminal offense to pose for them .
Never Refer to Public Meetings. Certainly Don’t Fake Them
The surest way to continue plausible deniability is to never , ever claim to have meet up . There ’s just no upside , unless you ’re trying to convert your high schooltime ally that you ’ve actually had sex with a female child from the next township over , in which lawsuit you ca n’t really get around that . But for basically literally perfectly any other ground you might have to fake the existence of a human being , just do n’t do it , it ’s not deserving it . It ’s the difference of opinion between have a chance to bail out and lay claim a “ drudge ” deceived you and receive zero buffer on your gigantic , preposterous Trygve Halvden Lie .
Make Her Public-Facing Online Name an Obvious Pseudonym
This is sort of a double - reverse , but you require to put as much length between the online , public identicalness and any kind of legitimate background check . To use Te’o ’s case , “ Lennay Kay ” was a decent front for “ Lennay Kekua , ” and a sane affair a person might go by online . People utilize all form of pseudonyms to make themselves harder to look for , so why not your imaginary lady friend ? It ’s a perfect cover for making your fake human being a pain in the ass to find .
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