AboveTopSecret.com is probably one of, if not the most, popular website on the internet for conspiracy related discussion or alternative topics. They also happen to be our respectful competition. With that said, I feel it is necessary to also state that this article is in no way a means to slander their reputation or give them less credibility, but merely to asses the quality of their content.
There have always been rumors going around that ATS is disinformation agents, or they are COINTELPRO, or they have their own agenda. I'm sure anyone who has spent any time on ATS has come across this argument or something similar in nature. Especially after conspiracy nut John Lear left their community. Or was kicked out...whatever you wanna believe. That's a whole different issue and while I do have an opinion on that matter, I will not go there right now. I don't believe the staff at above top secret is infiltrated by the CIA or any of that rubbish, but I can tell you why it CANNOT possibly be the best source to get information from and here are my reasons:
1.
Their corporate structure - Above Top Secret is just so huge of a website that they have no choice but to abide by legalities and the whole slew of rules that they have in effect at their forum. Therefore they MUST have the rules that they have. This leads to number 2.
2.
My god, the rules and regulations - Register to post on Above Top Secret and be prepared to familiarize yourself with a book of rules as thick as the bible. Disobey any of them and you are pretty much gone. Therefore it creates a paradox because they cannot deny ignorance and claim to provide freedom of speech because their rules do not permit it. Freedom of speech is merely an illusion on ATS.
3.
Their relentless advertising of their own viewpoint - By registering there, not only are you able to voice your opinion as long as it abides by the rules, but you also will have to deal with them shoving bullshit like Jim Marrs and Johnny Anonymous down your throat. Sure, they offer their website to you for free use, but that is a marketing trick to allow them to make money off of their users kind of like myspace. It's free, but so full of bullshit that you don't even want to use it anymore.
4.
The Biased Staff - The staff of ATS may claim that they are not biased. So does the lawyer that the record label sent to you before you sign that million dollar recording deal. yeah right. It is the job of the ATS moderator to be biased. To uphold the numerous rules and regulations of ATS. Disagreement with the majority usually causes issues anywhere you go. On ATS, a disagreement with the majority is likely to cause trouble which will mean that you will be post banned, banned, or silenced in some way shape or form in order to preserve the integrity of the community.
5.
The Hotheaded Owners - I have personally witnessed several "rants" by the owners over time. The only owner that no one knows too much about is Simon Grey because, intelligently, he stays away from his own well oiled machine. He lets Mark Allen and Bill Irving look like idiots for him when the all too often fly off the handle at people who question their authority. Sure, it may be frustrating to deal with people like that constantly, but lets just all act like 5th graders and spaz out, why don't we? Unfortunately, that's a scene that's all too common with getting Springer or Skeptic Overlord involved. Although Bill is usually less likely to take it to that level...but he will, don't you worry.
6.
Money - Let's face the facts. ATS is huge. When entities get this big, money becomes more and more important. It is more important because they need it for their growing expenses...and their growing salaries. You put 10 years into a company and see if you don't want to start making some bank yourself. Unfortunately, with Above Top Secret, it seems like the focus is more on making sure that they keep making that money rather than harboring relevant, or even intelligent information, which makes sense. They do this under the guise of maintaining civility and intelligent discussion. What they really mean by "maintaining civility" is making sure you don't do or say anything stupid to hurt their monetary interests. Such as getting them sued, or giving them a bad name. Go over there and question them and see how long your account goes before it is banned in some way.
7.
Deliberate Hoaxing - Growing to the size they have grown to and changing their priorities (either for the better or worse) has created some enemies for them as well as opened them up to pranksters. It is very rare for a length of time to go by where someone hasn't came onto ATS and completely fabricated something in order to hoax their community. Therefore people don't really know what to believe...not to mention the site is filled with people that will believe anything.
There are many reasons why ATS is not what it used to be but the main one is that their goal has changed. Their original goal was to "Deny Ignorance." Now their goal is to make money. And when that is your goal, everything but your interests fall by the wayside. Such is a sad death of what used to be a great place filled with great people. It's now merely another junk filled website that is taking up webspace with so much garbage that it is pointless to sift through it all.
- Mad Hatter
The Truth About AboveTopSecret.com
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