http://vmyths.com/rant.cfm?id=661&page=4 [Another must read article from Rob Rosenberger! - WK] by Rob Rosenberger 07/25/04 CAN YOU TELL the difference between a parody and a hoax? One computer security firm can't. Our longtime readers know about a firm called "mi2g" (correct spelling). Vmyths has exposed their many shenanigans dating back to 1999. Our website tops the list if you Google for "mi2g criticism" and we're #3 if you Google for "mi2g humor." mi2g has threatened to sue Vmyths for libel but has not yet made good on its threat. An unknown person parodied an mi2g alert with the headline "Wendy's drive-up order system information disclosure." I'll call it "the mi2g parody" for short. It's a straightforward parody -- yet the folks at mi2g went ballistic over it. CEO & founder D.K. Matai (incorrect spelling) labeled it an outright hoax in a bizarre press release dated 20 July. It's not a hoax. It's a parody. PAIR-OH-DEE. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary explains the difference: parody: a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule hoax: 1: an act intended to trick or dupe The key to a hoax lies in the word "dupe." The hoaxster wants to trick you into believing the story he weaves. The key to a parody lies in the word "comic." The comedian wants you to laugh at an absurdity. Just for the fun of it, I want you to read a story with the headline "Exxon perfects new method for turning seawater into fuel." Hoax or parody? Now read "Giant flashbulb to help Hubble telescope see even farther." Hoax or parody? Finally, read "Rumsfeld, Bush Sr. arrested for past ties to Saddam." Hoax or parody? When I saw the mi2g parody, I immediately recognized it as such. Vmyths cohorts Lew Koch and George C. Smith recognized it as a parody, too. InfoSec News moderator William Knowles tagged it as a parody when he forwarded it to his mailing list. "Real mi2g, fake mi2g, whatever, it had me in stitches!" Pete Simpson (ClearSwift) exclaimed "that is the best belly laugh I've had in the last decade." Everybody got the humor -- except for the folks at mi2g. "It is clear that there is no purpose to it other than to smear reputation and cause damage," they huffed in a supposed "news alert." mi2g went on to slam a number of security sites by name, claiming "they did not control the content which they published, even when it was blatantly evident that the posting they were purveying was an obvious obnoxious hoax." A hoax? A hoax?!? Yeah, yeah, tell it to Exxon. Or tell it to Enron. Or tell it to ValuJet. Or heck, tell it to anyone I've parodied over the years. [...] _________________________________________ Help InfoSec News with a donation: http://www.c4i.org/donation.html
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