I was just scanning the results of of a Google search, and there seem to
be a fair number of what look like pages of computer-generated text. It
_almost_ makes sense, but it’s just a random collection of words. Does
anyone know the purpose of these? It’s like a code the FSB (KGB) might use
to communicate with spies.

--
Pete

Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I was just scanning the results of of a Google search, and there seem to
> be a fair number of what look like pages of computer-generated text. It
> _almost_ makes sense, but it’s just a random collection of words. Does
> anyone know the purpose of these? It’s like a code the FSB (KGB) might use
> to communicate with spies.
>

on second look they all seem to link to a “who’s calling me” page for
reverse phone lookup.

--
Pete

Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I was just scanning the results of of a Google search, and there seem to
> be a fair number of what look like pages of computer-generated text. It
> _almost_ makes sense, but it?s just a random collection of words. Does
> anyone know the purpose of these? It?s like a code the FSB (KGB) might use
> to communicate with spies.

My guess is on "positioners". They are building pages that Google
indexer consider legitimate and plant links on them to boost
rating of their target pages.

--
Waldek Hebisch

> on second look they all seem to link to a “who’s calling me” page for
> reverse phone lookup.

Reverse phone lookup pages like this are mostly scams placed by the spam
callers to obfuscate their origins. (There are a few legit ones, e.g.
Nomorobo.) If they contain lots of words to raise their page rank,
that's to make sure they come up in searches for phone numbers.

De

On 8/5/21 8:12 PM, Peter Flass wrote:
> I was just scanning the results of of a Google search, and there seem to
> be a fair number of what look like pages of computer-generated text. It
> _almost_ makes sense, but it’s just a random collection of words. Does
> anyone know the purpose of these? It’s like a code the FSB (KGB) might use
> to communicate with spies.
>
>
If any reader is old enough, you call the 'numbers stations' that were
encountered on the HF radio bands. Some radio amateurs built HF
direction finding gear, and triangulated the positions of a few of
these. There were all coming from military bases in the US.

On Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:08:13 -0500
John Crane <john_crane_59@yahoo.com> wrote:

> If any reader is old enough, you call the 'numbers stations' that were
> encountered on the HF radio bands. Some radio amateurs built HF
> direction finding gear, and triangulated the positions of a few of
> these. There were all coming from military bases in the US.

Many governments ran numbers stations not just the US military,
they were (and are) encrypted news channels for spies.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith | Directable Mirror Arrays
C:\>WIN | A better way to focus the sun
The computer obeys and wins. | licences available see
You lose and Bill collects. | http://www.sohara.org/

According to Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net>:
>On Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:08:13 -0500
>John Crane <john_crane_59@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> If any reader is old enough, you call the 'numbers stations' that were
>> encountered on the HF radio bands. Some radio amateurs built HF
>> direction finding gear, and triangulated the positions of a few of
>> these. There were all coming from military bases in the US.
>
> Many governments ran numbers stations not just the US military,
>they were (and are) encrypted news channels for spies.

There are still a lot of them. This web site tells you more than you ever
wanted to know about them:

https://www.numbers-stations.com/

--
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@taugh.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

On 2021-08-18, John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> wrote:
> According to Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net>:
>>On Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:08:13 -0500
>>John Crane <john_crane_59@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> If any reader is old enough, you call the 'numbers stations' that were
>>> encountered on the HF radio bands. Some radio amateurs built HF
>>> direction finding gear, and triangulated the positions of a few of
>>> these. There were all coming from military bases in the US.
>>
>> Many governments ran numbers stations not just the US military,
>>they were (and are) encrypted news channels for spies.
>
> There are still a lot of them. This web site tells you more than you ever
> wanted to know about them:
>
> https://www.numbers-stations.com/
>

Probably someone had the idea for them, and once the mney was allocated, forgot to stop it.