AltWatcher

4 Sept

The Alt National Park Service exploded in popularity after the 2024 election, and their cryptic, mysterious "code number" posts were a big part of their rise. In the aftermath of the election, people were desperate for hope, and AltNPS was ready to exploit that desperation 🧵:

19h

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

If I was an anonymous government insider running a top-secret clandestine resistance operation, I might try to hide any identifying details about myself. Or maybe I'd make sure to tell everyone what a big Star Wars dork I am, like a real spy would do.

It's pretty wild how consistent this is. I've heard a lot of people in the actual NPS, as well as other #altgov accounts, say this exact thing. I've never seen one person publicly claim to be associated with AltNPS, or claim to be a "coalition member." Not one.

boneless cum button@bonelesshegel.bsky.social

I know plenty of people in the park service and federal civil service generally None of them, not a single one, has the faintest idea of who's running these accounts, and most doubt they are federal employees at all

Love to have productive conversations online

"Professional" is a strong word for what I'm doing here, but hell, I'll take it

I weirdly have a post that's doing numbers, so while I have your attention, please consider following this list of journalists that the Alt National Park Service has plagiarized. They've done the work, and deserve the credit.

This is the number one thing I saw in those early days: desperation. This quote has especially stuck with me. "What does it matter whether you understand" is such a profoundly sad question, and speaks to someone so desperate for hope that they're willing to take anything on faith.

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The "numbers" era of the Alt National Park Service (from roughly Feb. - Aug. 2025) was easily the funniest, but also the saddest; I was watching thousands and thousands of people get drawn in by spy-movie nonsense in real time.

PPL Comics - Volume 1 Available Now@captainlinguini.bsky.social

Remember when they were just tweeting out random numbers like it was some sort of secret code?

I have folders full of screenshots just like this, where people were thanking AltNPS for doing something, anything, to supposedly fight back against Trump. These folks would project whatever image onto AltNPS that made their fear go away.

dispatchesfromtheonlinevoid.wordpress.comThe "Alt National Park Service" Part 3: General Public Can DisregardAny sufficiently conspiratorial account is indistinguishable from Q.In my first article about the “Alt National Park Service,” I mentioned that the account really, really loves reminding its audien…

For a bit of shameless self-promo, I've written a lot about this one very stupid account, and how it manipulates its followers. You can read it here for free!

The Alt National Park Service does not receive "reports" in any meaningful sense, and the last time they said this, it was when they were pretending to have on-the-ground knowledge of ICE raids in my hometown of Saint Paul. bsky.app/profile/altw...

Being Liberal ®🗽🏳️‍🌈@beingliberal.bsky.social

Dolly Parton’s sister says a Tennessee voting machine kept switching her pick to Marsha Blackburn — three times. She’s not alone. Alt National Park Service says they’ve heard similar reports from South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.

I don't say this to undermine the underlying message about election security; please double check your registration and make sure your ballot is secure. But don't rely on AltNPS for anything, especially something so important.

As we approach the midterms, remember that the Alt National Park Service is a merch sales operation claiming without evidence to be a group of federal employees, and is not a genuine source of news about elections of any kind. Please get your election info from a local, reputable source.

cip.uw.eduRecent Utah, Texas incidents fuel rumors and political narratives undermining trust in election integrityReal voting issues become misleading narratives through false allegations of “voter fraud” intentions and other well-worn tactics.

As recently as last month, the Alt National Park Service was amplifying election misinformation. For god's sake, don't trust them. They're just click farmers.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

Extremely interesting piece from @cip.uw.edu at the University of Washington. Long story short, they identify the Alt National Park Service as a key amplifier of conspiratorial misinformation about a "mail dumping" news story last month.

A quick check-in on AltNOAA: they're honoring the responsibilities of their federal department by leaning into the message of "haha Trump gay"

The #altgov account ostensibly representing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is also throwing in a little AI Looney Tunes boomerposting for good measure.

It would have been the easiest thing in the world to credit @marisakabas.bsky.social for finding this information (if The Guardian can do it, so can you), but as usual, the Alt National Park Service didn't bother. Go read Marisa's article. It's worth it. www.thehandbasket.co/p/tommy-teep...

Last year, I noted that the Alt National Park Service was apparently trying to include actual sources in their posts, instead of just outright plagiarizing. But it quickly turned out that AltNPS hadn't changed at all.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

On July 23rd, AltNPS posted about proposed changes to EPA guidelines, and ended their post with a list of sources. In theory, this was exactly what I was asking for. The problem is that this article doesn’t exist.

news.bloomberglaw.comTrump Radically Overhauls EPA Mission, Scope in First Six MonthsJust six months into his second term, President Donald Trump has moved quickly to reshape the Environmental Protection Agency in ways not seen over its 55-year history, drastically restructuring offic...

They were just listing something that LOOKED like a source, but which didn't actually lead to a real article.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

I did find this article, which does mention the 2009 regulation. But it's under a different title, and was published on a different date. So if someone wanted to, say, read this important article for themselves, they'd have to dig through Bloomberg for an article that seemed close enough.

At the time, it sure looked like AltNPS was getting an AI model to squeeze out some "citations" for them. All I'm saying is, the last time AltNPS got this lazy about citations, they were probably using AI. I wouldn't put it past them to use it again in an effort to cut corners and save effort.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

No specific publication date, just “July 2025.” (It should be July 18th) No author. (It's Mark Lieberman) Unnecessary description of the outlet. Unnecessary summary of the article. And the real article has a completely different headline: www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

It's been a while since the Alt National Park Service ended a post with "source: [name of publication]" instead of just including a link, but here we are. It's both somehow lazier than simply using a link, while also being more work. Impressive?

detroitnews.comMike Rogers' wife gives away $10 gift cards at Detroit gas stationIt's generally illegal to buy votes, but experts said this type of campaign effort can be legal if the gas cards are given without conditions.

I'm not sure why AltNPS didn't want to just link to the article or give @melissaburke.bsky.social her flowers, but I definitely will.

Completely agree, and I think we ignore this at our peril. *Everyone* is getting more conspiratorial, and it's going to inform the future.

Huntracony@huntracony.bsky.social

I have no numbers but I feel like conspiracy theories on the left have increased in recent years. This, lab leak, 2024 election rigged, ICC is working in secret to save the day, everything is a Russian bot now, etc. I guess we need ways to cope with how the world has gone to shit recently.

It's totally fine if this person doesn't share my skepticism of the Tennessee Holler, but it's amazing how quickly I get accused of being a bot or a secret MAGA whenever I criticize a left-wing source.

Folks, *I AM* on the left! My politics are not a secret! You can find my personal account, under my real name, linked in my bio and judge my political leanings for yourself. It's okay to critique your own side. It's essential, even.

I know that this reaction is basically a trauma response for some people, and that there really are a LOT of bad-faith operators and wreckers out there. But man, it's unsettling to see how willing some folks are to assign conspiratorial intent to everything that bothers them.

Go read the full article! It gets into the reality of the case, how it was cynically used by the Trump admin to sell claims of voter fraud, and how it was then used by grifters like AltNPS pushing a conspiracy angle from the other direction.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

This is the big thing I want to hammer home with my work here: we on the left are not *better* than conspiracy theorists. We are not *above* propaganda. We are not *too smart* to fall for scams. People like AltNPS know how to exploit our fears and manipulate our anxieties, and we need to be alert.

I mean, Jesus. As soon as AltNPS touched this story, its reach skyrocketed, and carried forward AltNPS's baseless conspiracism as it went. The Alt National Park Service is a megaphone for misinformation.

FWIW, I'd also recommend unfollowing the Tennessee Holler for these exact reasons. They're just a content farm, playing on your outrage for attention.

Mar Hicks@histoftech.bsky.social

Since this news source no longer acts like one—never gives source info, dates, etc on its posts, and just posts free-floating clickbait and ragebait—I really wish folks would stop sharing it.

Eighteen months ago, the Alt National Park Service was all-in on pretending to be a spy, complete with fake "code numbers" and an insistence that they were putting their own safety at risk by posting at all. Today, they're spamming the timeline with "😂" emojis.

When you compare AltNPS's posts from the months after the election to the ones they're putting out now, the difference is insane. They've essentially dropped all pretense of being a government insider of any kind, and are just coasting on low-effort "triggering the MAGAs" slop.

man WHAT

Hypoautonomic, BS@hypoautonomic.bsky.social

Did you see the one about kidnapping his neighbor’s cat ? bsky.app/profile/hypo...

bookshop.orgEnd of Days: Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse, and the Unmaking of America"A riveting and thoroughly researched chronicle...reminiscent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood." --The New York Times Book Review The gripping story of the Ruby Ridge siege, showing how the historic s...

On what I was going to call "a lighter note" before realizing it really isn't, I just finished Chris Jennings's sweeping END OF DAYS, about Ruby Ridge and the apocalyptic faith that fueled it. I really enjoyed it! It's a great look at the conspiracy-brained history of this country.

Absolutely. On top of everything else, AltNOAA is a big "it's not racist to hate Muslims" guy, up to and including defending Brigitte Bardot.

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We should probably talk about AltNOAA🧵:

AltNOAA also has a big ol' hard-on for AI, including using it to post straight up fake news, justified by it supposedly generating "emotions" about beluga whales. When challenged on how insane that stance is, AltNOAA spent the day doubling down and calling everyone "emotionally shallow."

With some allowances for the occasional gripe and shitpost, most #altgov accounts stick largely to their own agencies. Alt Forest Service talks about the trees. Alt Space Force talks about space. This is, let's say, not the case for AltNOAA.

AltWatcher@altwatcher.bsky.social

Everyone is just being normal and having a chill day on the Internet

We should probably talk about AltNOAA🧵:

The AltGov account ostensibly representing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been wandering down an increasingly grim path over the last several months. This account has always had an edgier-than-thou streak, but repeatedly saying you'll totally shoot cops is new.

I use the word "edgy" because for the most part, AltNOAA's posts remind me of the platonic ideal of the Reddit Atheist. Sneering, pedantic, and trying to hijack every topic to make the conversation about religion. Peep the part where he says religious people shouldn't be allowed to drive.

I started this account when I saw how many of my friends and loved ones followed the Alt National Park Service. This was at the peak of AltNPS's "code number" phase, and people I knew, SMART people, were getting pulled into the fiction that AltNPS was spinning.

Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted)@tylerfromtheinternet.com

people I know repost them and I get upset because I don't want to stop being pals but for fuck sake

Some folks just casually follow AltNPS, occasionally reposting them or liking a post. When I've spoken to these people about AltNPS's plagiarism or bad behavior, they often say "wow, I had no idea," and sometimes unfollow. No harm, no foul, right? I'm glad whenever someone unfollows AltNPS.

But it's the other type that worries me. These are the people who have fully bought into the idea that AltNPS represents a genuine "resistance movement," and any criticism of AltNPS is undermining the resistance. Asking for proof is a threat. Asking for sources is sabotage.

Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted)@tylerfromtheinternet.com

people I know repost them and I get upset because I don't want to stop being pals but for fuck sake

And the reality was that apparently no, it didn't. It felt like I was the only person seeing the red flags. It felt like I was going crazy, and in the throes of post-election despair, people do weird things. Things like "start a whole online project to investigate one account that sucks."

I've tried many times to engage with people online who are fully bought into AltNPS, and I think there are two kinds of followers: People who have an emotional need to believe in the Alt National Park Service, and people who don't.

Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted)@tylerfromtheinternet.com

people I know repost them and I get upset because I don't want to stop being pals but for fuck sake

And I'd get so confused; this was an anonymous group of supposed rebel park rangers communicating in public with number codes via Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook. Did this not seem like an obvious LARP to anyone else?