Hoax Infrastructure

Hoax Infrastructure

A skill for building the supporting elements - organizations, spokespeople, evidence - that make fictional stories credible to journalists.

When to Use

• After designing a media hoax that requires verification-resistant elements
• When creating a fictional organization, expert, or phenomenon
• When journalists will attempt to verify before publishing
• When the hoax needs to sustain multiple interviews or inquiries

Inputs

1. The fiction: What story needs supporting infrastructure?
2. Verification vectors: What will journalists try to check?
3. Duration: How long must the infrastructure hold?
4. Resources: Budget, people, technical capability

Workflow

Step 1: Map what journalists will check:

• Phone numbers (do they answer professionally?)
• Websites (do they look legitimate? How old?)
• Social media (consistent history? Real engagement?)
• Physical addresses (does something exist there?)
• Named individuals (do they appear elsewhere?)
• Organizational history (any prior coverage?)

Step 2: Identify every point where verification might occur.

Step 3: Create online infrastructure:

• Website with appropriate domain age (register early)
• Professional design matching the organization type
• Detailed "About" pages with history and mission
• Contact information that works
• Social media accounts with posting history
• LinkedIn profiles for key "personnel"

Step 4: Develop believable spokespeople:

• Consistent identity across platforms
• Plausible background that can be superficially verified
• Photographs (ethically sourced or generated)
• Voice and manner appropriate to role
• Ability to answer questions consistently

Output Format

An infrastructure plan including:

1. List of verification vectors and defenses for each
2. Digital presence requirements with timeline
3. Personnel profiles and their capabilities
4. Physical elements needed
5. Supporting voices and their roles
6. Stress test results and fixes

Constraints

• Don't create false records in official databases
• Infrastructure creation may have legal implications
• Real people should not be impersonated without consent
• Evidence of the infrastructure becomes evidence for the reveal
• Cost can escalate quickly - prioritize highest-impact elements

Outputs

Primary Output: A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

Format:

## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]

Example output: See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

Additional Notes

Best practices:

• Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
• Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
• Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements

Common variations:

• Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
• Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
• Adapt the output format to audience needs

When to skip this skill:

• The situation doesn't match the core use cases
• Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
• Time constraints require faster methods

Example

Input: Create infrastructure for fictional corporate whistleblower advocacy group

Output: "Domain registered 8 months before launch. Professional website with board members (stock photos, fictional bios), past 'cases' (composites of real situations), contact form and phone number (burner with voicemail). LinkedIn for 'executive director' with connections to real advocacy space. Two 'former clients' willing to speak to journalists about how the organization helped them (actually collaborators). Physical: PO Box in relevant city, printed materials. Stress test: journalist role-play found website domain age unconvincing - pushed launch back 4 months."

Integration

Works with:

• media-hoax-design: This skill builds what that skill designs
• institutional-fluency: Understanding how real organizations present themselves
• identity-correction: Similar infrastructure but for impersonating real entities