Did Some Web Designer Troll Rick Santorum? 4chan's Moot Pictured On Santorum's Website

from the hilarious dept

Wed, Nov 7th 2012 2:50pm — Mike Masnick

This one is just funny. First noticed by folks on Reddit, former Presidential candidate Rick Santorum -- perhaps most well known among internet kids for the Google bombing of his name to associate it with... something unpleasant -- apparently has a picture of Chris Poole, better known as moot, the creator of the web's most popular home for internet trolls, 4chan (and yes, there's much more at 4chan, but... ).

The folks over at Betabeat investigated and confirmed that a web design firm built the site, though it's unclear if moot's picture was the work of a sneaky, trolling web designer... or just an attempt to find "regular-looking" people to populate Santorum's site.

Patriot Voices used the startup Nation Builder, a web tool kit for community organizers, as a platform for the site. A representative for Nation Builder told Betabeat that the site was designed by an outside designer at the Pittsburgh-based political consulting and advertising firm Brabender Cox.

Dubbed “the premier Republican spin doctors,” Brabender Cox has a longstanding history of working to promote Republican candidates. In addition to doing work for Mr. Santorum, they’ve also created viral videos and advertising content for politicians like Republican Senator Tom Coburn and Republican Mayor of Indiana Greg Ballard.

Betabeat reached out to the organization but hasn't heard back yet.

Oh, and if you're wondering, it seems likely that the use of the work is copyright infringement. It was pulled from Poole's Wikipedia page, and the image is Creative Commons licensed, but part of that license is that attribution is required. There doesn't seem to be any such attribution. Oops.

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Filed Under: chris poole, moot, pictures, rick santorum, trolls

25 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:03pm

...it seems likely that the use of the work is copyright infringement...

not at all, I would totally believe that Rick and Moot are close friends.
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Tunnen (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:03pm

Well the internet definition of Santorum and what comes out of 4Chan are basically the same thing... =P
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Just Another Limey (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:07pm

Man-Dog love
Wasn't Rick famous a while back [even in far-away Europe] for his spirited love of man-dog love?
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Just Another Limey (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:07pm

Man-Dog love
Wasn't Rick famous a while back [even in far-away Europe] for his spirited love of man-dog love?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:08pm

Tisk Tisk. Santorum trying to use /b/ as a personal army? That won't end well.

Let me go get the popcorn!
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Just Another Limey (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:10pm

Re: Man-Dog love
I didn't double post this. It must have been Rick...
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:14pm

Santorum is happy to fulfill moot's request to be the little girl.
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Sage Ross (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:23pm

sweet!
I took that picture! I would have had trouble thinking of a situation where I'd be proud to have a picture of mine on Santorum's website, but this does it!
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Sage Ross (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:28pm

Re: sweet!
I may have to look into some restitution for the copyright infringement, though, since they are ignoring the license.
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Anonymous, 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:28pm

It's dinnertime, and I'm hungry for CHEESE PIZZA!
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Zos (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 3:35pm

Re: Re: sweet!
if any of that's true, please keep us updated on how it goes, sounds like a case of legitimate rape.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 4:16pm

TIL: The "the premier Republican spin doctors" have been trolling us for years.
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 5:26pm

You mean republicans scoff at the law?!
NNNooooooooooo

I hope they get nailed hard, and then deconstructed over being that stupid.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 5:35pm

Looks like fair use to me. How, then, does it seem likely that this is copyright infringement? If it's fair use, then no license - and thus no attribution - is needed.

I guess only people you like get the benefit of the fair use doubt...
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 5:39pm

Re:
How is that fair use?

Anyway, the pic also appears to be licenses under the GNU Documentation License (odd choice, if true), so the CC attribution requirement doesn't necessarily apply.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 5:41pm

The lulz are worth more than a token stock-photography fee.
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RD, 7 Nov 2012 @ 6:15pm

One law for us...
"Oh, and if you're wondering, it seems likely that the use of the work is copyright infringement. It was pulled from Poole's Wikipedia page, and the image is Creative Commons licensed, but part of that license is that attribution is required. There doesn't seem to be any such attribution. Oops."

Oh tut-tut Mike, this is nothing (waving hand away). It's only the common man that gets sued after all. When the rich or politicians do this, its nothing, not even an infraction. When the average person does it, HOLY FUCKING SHIT the world is going to END if they aren't sued into OBLIVION RIGHT NOW DAMN THOSE THIEVING PIRATE SCUM!!
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Sage Ross (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 6:16pm

GFDL
The GFDL requires including or linking to the full text of the GFDL, so it wasn't being legitimately used under that license either.
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Alana (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 8:41pm

Looks like Santorum's site has been rendered...

*sunglasses*

...Moot.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 9:52pm

Re:
I see what you did there... and now I has a sad.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 4:37am

They posted an update on their site.

"Adrian Chen reports that Moot told him: ��somebody knows how to use Wikipedia, I guess. I assumed someone created a profile on the site and used my photo as their profile pic. Or maybe it was a staffer/designer for the site. Who knows.�"
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 5:07am

We love you, Mootles
BRB, soup.
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orbitalinsertion (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 6:40am

Re:
You'll have to explain how it is fair use. You have to think about these things, not simply go with how it seems to you.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 2:01pm

Re: GFDL
Gosh Freakin' Darn License?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 11:59pm

Re: Re: Man-Dog love
Never gonna give double posting up, never gonna let it down.
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