US military taps 'sock puppets' Fake personas on social websites to manipulate and influence opinion Resource Type: Article Published: 2011 A new $2.76 million dollar 'counter-terrorism' initiative to create a pro-America online presence using fake online personas is underway. These interventions will not be conducted in English or on American sites, but will be Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Pashtu speaking "sock-puppets".