What a joke.<p>Somewhere in this Library of Babel there was a site/social media account that reports news from western countries as if they're 3rd-world (African) dictatorships.<p>ChatGPT provides a simulacrum:<p>Influencers in Dictatorship Promote App That Pays in Phantom Crypto for Snitching<p>By Jonathan Reyes, Global Affairs Correspondent<p>In a bizarre fusion of surveillance culture and digital snake oil, social media influencers aligned with the authoritarian regime of the Republic of Unified Victory and Eternal Peace have begun promoting a new app that promises users payment in cryptocurrency for reporting the “unpatriotic behavior” of their fellow citizens.<p>The app, called LoyalEyes, is marketed as a "civic participation platform" that allows users to anonymously upload photos, audio, and video of anyone suspected of “anti-national activity,” ranging from criticizing the government to simply using a VPN.<p>Prominent lifestyle influencers—many of whom regularly appear at regime-sponsored events—have flooded the nation’s tightly controlled social media sphere with posts extolling the virtues of the app. With hashtags like #CryptoForPatriots and #SnitchToGetRich, they claim that users are rewarded in UnityCoin, a supposed blockchain-based currency allegedly backed by the country’s economic ministry.<p>However, no evidence exists that UnityCoin has any real value, liquidity, or even a functioning blockchain. Users report that after submitting multiple “reports,” they receive token amounts of UnityCoin in their in-app wallets—none of which can be withdrawn, traded, or converted. Attempts to contact app developers result in generic auto-replies, while complaints are quietly deleted from official channels.<p>[...]<p>Some early adopters, disillusioned by the absence of actual payouts, have attempted to speak out, only to find their social media accounts suspended or their families visited by state officials under vague charges of “cyber-subversion.”<p>Meanwhile, the app continues to gain traction among younger citizens desperate for economic opportunity—many of whom are unaware that the cryptocurrency rewards are as fictional as the freedom they’re helping suppress.<p>“This is not just a scam,” Bertrand added. “It’s psychological warfare in a digital skin.”<p>Human rights organizations are calling for an investigation into the app’s developers, many of whom appear linked to shell companies registered in offshore jurisdictions. But in a country where asking too many questions can be a crime, answers may be a long time coming.