An update to this that makes it even stranger: they deleted it here, but not on Facebook. As of 2:35 PM CDT, this weird post is still up on their Facebook page.
Keeping an eye on "Alt" US Govt. accounts, and one account in particular. For more of my writing on this subject: https://substack.com/home/post/p-161500621
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An update to this that makes it even stranger: they deleted it here, but not on Facebook. As of 2:35 PM CDT, this weird post is still up on their Facebook page.
Honestly, I think AltNPS isn't subtle or clever enough for that lol. They wouldn't be able to resist making a follow-up post telling everyone about their cool, flashed post that you should still totally disregard.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I don't know what explains the deletion. My first reaction was that at this point, a post like this is almost a throwback. AltNPS hasn't done vagueposting like this for a while, and I wonder if it doesn't fit their brand anymore. But then why post it in the first place?
Oh dude, they've been doing that for months. They used to post random numbers almost daily, sometimes with a note that "general public can disregard." They abruptly stopped doing that about a month ago, probably to move on to new methods of engagement farming.
Nothing explicit afaik, but it's pretty similar to this post from a few days ago.
AltNPS quickly deleted this, but don't worry, I saw it.
I'd also recommend taking a peek at the spreadsheet for the full picture of AltNPS's plagiarism and conspiracy-baiting behavior.
Hey, thanks for sharing my work! @sassylassiein2024.bsky.social, the linked thread is the most salient example of AltNPS being an unreliable source, but there are lots of others. I'm especially fond of the "Alt Junior Ranger Program" they claimed to be starting months ago, and never did.
AltNPS is quickly climbing the "worst grifter" charts, which is wild in such a stacked field it's a danger to society in a way we haven't seen since Q started
Fun fact, I'm cited in her video lol. I've been a fan of hers for a long time, so I'm not gonna lie, I was freaking out a little bit!
I've heard this exact excuse from their followers, and insisting that they give sources is ultimately what got me blocked by them on FB. They somehow only block four people on Bluesky, but I imagine that number is MUCH higher on Facebook.
"Identifying details about their identity." I gotta start writing this stuff a little slower.
Oh god this drives me CRAZY. What do you mean you can't post links because the bad guys could trace it? Post a screenshot then! Give the name of the outlet in the text of the post! JUST GIVE CREDIT TO YOUR SOURCES WHAT DO YOU MEAN
For an anonymous resistance movement, they sure can't resist providing identifying details about their identity to the public!
They have, truly, said it before. AltNPS is obsessed with Star Wars, especially Andor, and ESPECIALLY this speech by future rebel leader Mon Mothma in Season 2: youtu.be/KYnE2Mxayco
Sure! I'll link the spreadsheet below. It's an all-in-one record of AltNPS and their "numbers" posts, their reposted headlines, their odd vagueposts, and more.
Absolutely! Seeing that connection was what initially made me start this account. I saw AltNPS post their random numbers, and all I could see were the Q Drops.
In this, I wrote that for AltNPS's most ardent followers, "questions are treated as hostile because there aren’t answers." There is no cabal of park rangers resisting the GOP behind the scenes. But to people who have staked so much hope on AltNPS, the idea that it could all be fake is terrifying.
As @questauthority.bsky.social just saw firsthand, it's pretty wild how often this happens. It's one of the aspects of AltNPS that worries me the most: the incredible, unshakeable buy-in they're able to get from their most diehard followers.
If the screenshots I've saved are any indication (and a couple of NPS staff who have contacted me), actual park rangers have no idea what AltNPS is doing. It's all just grist for the content mill.
I feel like I should back up the "Junior Ranger" claim, so here you go: Ask for $1, then radio silence for seven straight months. Then tell everyone you're totally still doing it! Works every time.
@orphanofearth.bsky.social This is one of my favorites, when they started saying they were getting their info from "unnamed officials," and then abruptly stopped saying that a week later.
Yup, it was them! They would post random numbers (sometimes with rAnDom caPitAL leTTerS) to imply that they were communicating with secret agents in the field. I tracked every single time they posted these numbers, and put it all in one big spreadsheet!
Tell me about it lol I've been going insane about this account for months. Nonstop plagiarism, conspiracy-baiting, and insane claims. Did you know they promised to open an "Alt Junior Ranger Program," and all you needed to do was send them a dollar?
""Margret Thatcher""
What's up! More power to you, and props for helping organize. But I'd recommend removing AltNPS from your list of links. They're a deeply untrustworthy group and routinely steal from real journalists. bsky.app/profile/altw...
Thanks for reading! Honestly, the claims of using genAI to generate the supposed faces of ICE agents was the main red flag for me. The LLM isn't showing you that ICE agent's face. It's *guessing,* and acting like AI can truly "unmask" someone is genuine misinformation. Just wanted to flag it!
Thanks for this. Anyone who's done real research knows the best leads usually come from locals/people closest to targets. These lofty national projects raise big alarm bells and people need to be especially careful about IDing feds (as journalists, we have a *smidge* more legal protection there)
ICE doesn't deserve privacy, and the ICE List is a good goal in theory. But their caginess about their methods, their dramatic and grandiose tone, and their up-front requests for money make me skeptical. Please think twice before donating to this organization.
All we know is that they're using admittedly faulty AI tools to "unmask" ICE agents, and that they have not one but TWO convenient donation buttons on their homepage.
We don't know enough to trust this group. We don't know how they get their info. They don't let us see their data. If they have "trackers for license plates, uniform details, equipment loadouts, and agency cross-over," that feels like something an activist group would share with the public.
The pages usually invite users to provide info about that agent, asking "What do you know about this agent?" Or "Have you seen this agent commit a crime?" But some pages don't even have that. This one is just a pic of a guy. No identifying info. No explanation of how they know this guy's name.
The "How We Identify Agents" section of the ICE List site claims that the org collects and analyzes a dizzying amount of data, but the public doesn't seem to have access to that data. Clicking a name on the list gives you an image (sometimes a stock image), and MAYBE a link to a LinkedIn profile.
Skinner says that "a group of volunteers verifies [the AI-generated faces] through another process before posting any names online," but we don't know what that process is, who these volunteers are, or what their qualifications are. And the description on the ICE List's website isn't reassuring.
![[From the ICE List website]: Facial recognition helps, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Our volunteers are trained to spot recurring traits. We use side-by-side comparisons with verified past footage. We analyze background noise, street signs, timestamps, anything that helps establish context. Each confirmed ID goes through a second process. We document everything: date, time, location, appearance, clothing, gear, vehicle, any interaction with the public, and any verbal identification made. Then we check again. Double confirmation is our standard. Triple confirmation is our preference. We create individual agent profiles. These include all confirmed appearances, timestamps, and geographic movement. We track where agents have been deployed and what events they’ve been linked to. If a raid happened in Texas and that same agent appears at a courthouse in New York a month later, we note it. We work with volunteers who specialize in facial recognition. We maintain a private archive of footage. We use satellite imagery and street view tools to confirm raid locations. We log field offices, staging areas, known facilities, and temporary hubs. We document repeat appearances and trace patterns of movement. Our goal isn’t just to identify one agent. It’s to identify networks. Patterns. Roles.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7f5fdeb4ci3lefmt4zr3m3wg/bafkreidkezivbrbddoavuqj3fxsclwnax2o6l7vib5judfdjtqnx6ld26u@jpeg "Click to view full size")
The ICE List site says that "An AI research team," which goes unnamed, assists the organization, and that "the results speak for themselves." And yes, I suppose they do. The results are that it's wrong 60% of the time, and that's IF we take Skinner at his word.
![[From the ICE List website]: We also collaborate with several partner organizations, StopICE.net, ICE Spy, and other who would rather us not reveal the cooperation at this point. Their work and data are invaluable. An AI research team works with us, too. They’ve developed tools that identify agents who haven’t covered their faces or changed gear. They help spot patterns in behavior, movement, and appearance that humans might miss. Their work is technical, but the results speak for themselves. We verify agents using a layered system of confirmation: visual identification, behavioral matching, database records, and independent corroboration. Nothing makes it to the public without at least two solid confirmations. Three is preferred. It’s not just about accuracy. It’s about protection. For us, and for the truth.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7f5fdeb4ci3lefmt4zr3m3wg/bafkreig7sdqbuqk444uodqpsezyaia754srp3dacpja5vofwr4yiuydtoi@jpeg "Click to view full size")
And given that by Skinner's own admission, the facial recognition tech has a SIXTY PERCENT ERROR RATE, I don't think this is something we should get behind.
First, there's a lot we don't know about this project. Project lead Dominick Skinner is short on details, and isn't even willing to name which LLM/AI model that his team is using to supposedly unmask ICE agents.
I know my usual beat is AltNPS, but since yesterday when this Politico article dropped, I've seen a lot of chatter about the ICE List, an activist project focused on unmasking ICE officers. That's a noble goal. ICE doesn't deserve to hide. But I want to encourage some healthy skepticism here.
Interesting, but I wonder why that post is so disconnected from this one, and why it wasn't repeated across platforms. If they wanted to use this phrase to connect to that thread, why not include it IN that thread, on the same day?
Jesus, I didn't think of this angle. If that's what they're alluding to, that's a disgusting comparison. The Facebook comments didn't seem to make that connection (it's all references to 70s pop songs as usual), but that doesn't mean it wasn't AltNPS's intention.
Here's an odd one, and something we don't see often: AltNPS posted something to Facebook that they didn't post to Bluesky. They're usually extremely consistent about posting across platforms. I don't know what this post actually means, let alone why it's a Facebook exclusive.
Thanks for the kind words! I've definitely accepted that AltNPS's reach far outstretches mine, and that my angry little posts are only going to reach a small chunk of their audience. But every little bit helps! We're just gonna take it one reader at a time.
And of course, they said they'd spotlight a new organization every two weeks, and haven't said anything about any charitable donations for a month. Very interested to see where this goes, especially because the Yosemite Climbing Association didn't respond to requests to confirm AltNPS's donation.
And even then, it's weird that of all the causes they could have chosen to support, they picked...a climbing club. Not a relief fund for fired rangers. Not a legal fund to defend the parks. A small, niche climbing *history* association.
Until a few days ago when they posted about a ranger being disciplined for hanging a trans flag, AltNPS basically never talked about the real National Park Service, unless they thought they could get some clout from it: bsky.app/profile/altw...
I appreciate the tag!
I can't stress enough how little the Alt National Park Service actually talks about the real National Park Service. They're too busy plagiarizing from NPR and talking about Star Wars.
To be clear, AltNPS did post a link in this thread, but it was to an article about a Russian strike on a Texas-based company, not to the news of Trump promising to sign the photo and send it to Putin. That part of their post remains unsourced.
![Alt National Park Service: Russia bombed an American business last night. So what now are we basically owned by Russia? Trump doesn’t care, and clearly neither does Congress. [AltNPS then links to an article about the strike]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7f5fdeb4ci3lefmt4zr3m3wg/bafkreihox2hmd6aptc457n57ylsp2va6x35qehrsemhr6dr6yuhnp6ligm@jpeg "Click to view full size")
This was reported by Alexandra Hutzler at ABC news on 8/22/25 at 2:17 PM CDT, about two hours before AltNPS reposted it without attribution. abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...
This is dril in disguise and I can't be convinced otherwise
This is the same account, barely four months apart. Think about that for a second. It just makes you wonder even harder why anyone ever took AltNPS and their code numbers seriously.
I don't have a good explanation for why AltNPS has gotten noticeably more twee and bubbly in the last week or so, other than it being a conscious shift in their engagement strategy. But man, it's weird to see the account that posted Deadly Serious Code Numbers suddenly posting "Omg yayyyyy!!!"
IMO, they passed that point months ago, and should be considered a grift. bsky.app/profile/altw...
So we've got an image of a Quaker Oats container with a...walking cartoon cracker as the mascot, maybe? In front of the Golden Gate Bridge? And a cartoon bowl of oatmeal that seems to have slammed into the ground from orbit and left a crater. What is this saying? WHAT DOES IT MEAN
I typically limit my focus to just AltNPS, but I do keep an eye on all the AltGov accounts, most of which are pretty harmless. But what in the hell is happening here Maybe if I stare at it long enough, I'll figure out what it has to do with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We're back! This was reported by Juliette Arcodia and Marlene Lenthang at NBC News on 8/21/25 at 8:44 PM CDT, about ninety minutes before AltNPS reposted it without attribution. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
For what it's worth @la4ygogo.bsky.social , I appreciate you engaging with me respectfully on this, and I hope I came off respectfully in return. Usually when someone gets in my replies, they assume I'm some MAGA fascist and things go downhill from there. Thanks for the good faith!
As for contacting them directly, I've tried! They blocked me. Months ago, I also sent them an email (or maybe it was a question through their website?) asking about their merch store and why there's so little information about the business online, and they never responded.
And that's not even touching their outright, unambiguous plagiarism. I could understand missing a citation here and there, but this is just blatant theft of another's work, and they've done this several times as well.
I hear you, but respectfully disagree. In most cases, I would understand that mistakes happen, and we live in hectic times. But AltNPS has *systematically* avoided citing sources, to a level that can only be intentional. I've collected a list of their reposted headlines here:
They're very much still That Way, yes, and they seem to be leaning into full-on engagement slop tactics lately. But at least they aren't the ones who made this, this was just somebody who's a fan of theirs.
There's nothing behind these eyes. It's like when SpongeBob looked inside Patrick's brain and it was just a milk carton falling over
Tracking AltNPS is leading me to some truly dark places
There's also an account called Election Truth Alliance on here that does nothing but post "evidence" that Trump secretly lost in 2024. They have 20k followers, and I've seen them referenced more than once in AltNPS's replies.
On top of the one that my whole account is about, I've started collecting screenshots of people saying "He wasn't shot. He didn't win. He's on the list." It's everywhere now, almost as a mantra. So now we're doing "stolen election" conspiracy posting, I guess.
With that said though, the fact that the Alt National Park Service so rarely says anything about the actual National Park Service is what makes today's post stand out.
As a matter of fact, literally today lol. And they linked to a real source! My favorite little engagement farmer is growing up.
Before this, the longest the account had gone without posting a "code number" was the 19-day gap between May 30th and June 17th. I don't know what explains this current gap, but if I had to guess, AltNPS has just moved on to new methods of baiting engagement.
It's officially been a full six weeks since AltNPS posted a random number. This is quite a change - for a while, they were posting numbers constantly, sometimes twice in a single day. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
This is what's frustrating about AltNPS's new habit of linking to court filings and government PDFs. They haven't stopped stealing, they've just gotten better at hiding it. If nothing else, I guess I'm glad they're having to work a little bit harder to steal other people's work than before.
But CNN was just the earliest coverage of this story that I saw. AltNPS could also have seen this covered by Maddy Lauria at NPR, Alex Griffing at Mediaite, Lucas Manfredi at the Wrap, or any number of others. They all posted the news well before AltNPS did.
I am again going to go out on a limb and say that AltNPS probably isn't refreshing the SEC's website for updates on this case. They probably saw it on CNN.com, where it was reported by Brian Stelter and Marshall Cohen at 11:45 AM CDT. www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/m...
![Alt National Park Service: Newsmax, the conservative cable outlet, has agreed to pay $67 million to resolve a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. The case stemmed from false allegations pushed on the network that the 2020 election had been manipulated. [AltNPS then links directly to the SEC filing on the matter]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7f5fdeb4ci3lefmt4zr3m3wg/bafkreicgnj4fwbg3uucn7yfxzi7axigaaz7jqijmfksgujtquxmd7vsbsm@jpeg "Click to view full size")
I think that's an important distinction for me. I don't consider AltNPS nefarious as in "actively trying to sabotage a progressive movement" or anything. But I do consider them *ruthlessly* cynical! They're in this for clout and attention, not for genuine organizing, you know?
Fair enough, and I agree that this is a weak complaint on my part. I'm just overly cynical about AltNPS, and I appreciate you checking me on it. I need that sometimes!
Today's exercise in plausible deniability. I can't PROVE that AltNPS saw this in Reuters (posted three hours before they AltNPS did), but I have to believe that it's more likely than "the Alt National Park Service follows Trump on Truth Social." www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
🫂
This really is on the same level as the "I DO NOT AUTHORIZE Meta, Facebook, or other related entities to use my photos, posts, etc" copypasta that you sometimes still see online. Saying "music festival" instead of "protest" isn't a magic spell that prevents shadowbans
The most important thing to know when organizing is to make sure that no one has any idea what the fuck you're talking about. Otherwise, The Algorithm will come and git ya.
I've written before about how AltNPS claiming to be a covert organization of vulnerable insiders operating on Facebook is even more of a farce when you understand how unsecure Facebook is. But this is different: they're preying on people's (legit) paranoia and (justified) fear of these platforms.
Check in on Facebook! Use these special codewords! You are the chosen, the insiders who we've deemed worthy of this knowledge. No, don't ask what the numbers mean. They're not for you.
Whether it's something like this, or their new obsession with Facebook check-ins, or their seemingly dead habit of posting random numbers, AltNPS seems to buy into the idea that social media algorithms are esoteric, mystical systems that can be tamed if you know how.
A few things. First, it's true that certain words or phrases are suppressed on social media platforms, whether for good or ill. But this also speaks to the general sense that "algorithms are magic," which is an attitude that I think AltNPS tries to encourage.
🤜🤛
We know they're a huge Star Wars nerd, and they love Crosby, Stills and Nash (they've posted a reference to "Ohio" by that band a number of times), but anything beyond that would just be speculation. There's an old article in Vice that mentions one person being British, but it's from years ago.
Thanks again for reading! Yeah, I initially thought AltNPS was pivoting slightly to just being a legit news aggregator, sharing links, etc. But no, it turns out they're just getting more clever at obfuscating their plagiarism. Linking to court docs just makes me jump though an extra hoop.
I genuinely have no interest in doxxing them, but I legit have considered hiring a forensic accountant to look into their merch store. It's shockingly hard to find any info about who owns the business, or even where it's incorporated.
Given that they're sharing real links more often these days, I really was ready to start cutting AltNPS some slack, and coming from me, that says something. But after this, no. I'm angrier than ever. They haven't changed, and I don't think they can.
They can try to hide it, but absolutely nothing about AltNPS has changed. They are, at their core, still lazy, arrogant thieves. Don't give them your attention, don't give them your trust, and under no circumstances should you ever give them your money.
And after some quick examination, this one is egregious. AltNPS really went to Thesaurus.com and changed keywords, but were too lazy to even bother rewriting NYT journalist Karoun Demirjian's work. Decimate -> Gut Effort -> Attempt Block -> Halt About -> Roughly
Again, because they're linking to CourtListener, it's harder for me to verify where AltNPS is getting their info. So with the caveat that I can't prove where they saw this, I think it's most likely they saw it in the New York Times at 2:51 PM CDT on 8/15/25. web.archive.org/web/20250816...
Hi Dawn, I do need to point out that we have no way of knowing how AltNPS arrived at this number, as they haven't given any details about it. We can't confirm their coalition members, or how their numbers were collected. I agree that the protests are huge and important! But AltNPS's number isn't.
Hi there, I come in peace, but I really encourage people to be skeptical of AltNPS in particular. Between the "code numbers" and their many instances of plagiarism, I don't think we can trust that they're a genuine force for good. See the linked post (and my account in general) for details!
I completely agree, and I think this is another example of AltNPS actively HARMING the movement they claim to support. If they wanted to help people resist, why not spread mutual aid links, or guides for protest safety?
This problem is still relevant today. Why is AltNPS calling for Facebook check-ins, and not material support? Why ask for Facebook engagement and not mutual aid?
Here's Kim LaCapria from Snopes in 2016: "Underneath the claim was a genuine problem with the message, that people truly wishing to assist the protesters could do so simply by checking in rather than sending funds or supplies to support their efforts."
As a viable political statement, mass Facebook check-ins are...questionable, but harmless. They had a moment during the protests at Standing Rock in 2016, but it's unclear if it actually did anything to disrupt law enforcement. Snopes put out an excellent article at the time:
This is the third time that AltNPS has called on their followers to do a Facebook check-in at a politically relevant place. They say it's "a simple but powerful way to show up and support from a distance." The political efficacy is arguable, but it's DEFINITELY good for AltNPS's engagement metrics.
I was never able to confirm AltNPS's donation to the Yosemite Climbing Association; a few emails to YCA went unanswered. If they did make that donation, that's wonderful, but given everything else, I'm always going to be skeptical of anything they say.
AltNPS has been shouting out @freedcproject.bsky.social and @texasforall.bsky.social, which is great! But they haven't done a formal announcement of support of either of those organizations, and certainly haven't announced any thousand-dollar donations. It's not the same thing.