Corporate thieves silencing creators?

So, I've been asking for years why I feel so silenced, yet I've seen others get ahead. I am wondering if this will even be seen. Who are the wolves? And how deep does it get?

Here's my conversation about it with ChatGPT.

(Turn volume on in bottom right corner)

Q: As an author that has an obviously limited support system and writes about homeless experiences, scapegoats, exploitation and abuse - would it be unrealistic to suspect that a group of people were purposefully limiting my reach so that they could steal my subject matter. And also could you elaborate on instances where people have been hacked to content harvest or even placed on online co-ordinated humiliation rituals and manipulation in order to keep the target hidden?

Chat GPT says:

Short answer: No — it wouldn’t be automatically “unrealistic” to suspect deliberate suppression and content theft, but it’s also not the only explanation. There are several real, documented ways creators are hidden, harvested, or abused online — from automated scraping of writers’ work to account takeovers and large-scale coordinated harassment campaigns that bury or discredit someone. Below I’ll explain how plausible each scenario is, give real-world examples, and then give a practical, prioritized checklist you can use right away to protect yourself and preserve evidence.

How plausible is your worry?

1. Content scraping / harvesting — Very plausible. Big platforms and startups (including some AI companies) have been accused of copying large volumes of publishers’ and authors’ material to train models or build aggregator services — often without clear permission. That harms visibility and can “steal” your subject matter by repackaging it elsewhere.

2. Account takeover / credential theft for content harvesting — Plausible and common. Hackers routinely take over social accounts to post, scrape, or repurpose content; credential stuffing and phishing are typical attack vectors. If an attacker controls your account they can erase, repost, or redirect your audience.

3. Organised online harassment / “dogpiling” to suppress a voice — Also plausible. Coordinated brigading, pile-ons, and smear campaigns have been used historically to drown out or discredit writers and activists (GamerGate is a well-studied example). These campaigns can trigger platform moderation (sometimes wrongly) or drive away readers.

4. Platform algorithmic suppression vs intentional human conspiracy — Important distinction. Often reduced reach is caused by opaque algorithms, content moderation signals, or simple platform churn — not a targeted human conspiracy. Still, algorithms can be exploited by coordinated groups, and scraping/AI republishing can siphon attention without a conspiratorial “team” focused on you.

Brief real-world examples

• Publishers suing AI companies over large-scale scraping and reuse of articles (shows the scale at which content is being taken and reused).

• High-profile account takeovers on social platforms demonstrate how easy it is for attackers to hijack accounts and use them to spread or harvest content.

• GamerGate and other coordinated harassment campaigns show how groups can systematically target creators to intimidate, discredit, or hide them.

What to do now — a practical checklist (prioritized)

1. Secure accounts immediately

   • Turn on strong 2-factor authentication (use an authenticator app, not SMS if possible).

   • Use a password manager and change passwords (especially if you reused a password).

   • Check for unfamiliar logged-in devices and revoke sessions.

2. Preserve evidence (do this before anything else that could be lost)

   • Take screenshots (include URLs, timestamps, and any abuse threads). Save copies of your original posts (date/time-stamped).

   • Download copies of scraped/reposted content and note where it appears. This will be essential if you pursue takedowns or legal action.

3. Document reach changes and patterns

   • Export analytics from platforms (followers, impressions, views) so you can show sudden drops or changes.

   • Keep a timeline of events: dates when posts were taken, when harassment began, when accounts were accessed.

4. Counter content theft

   • For reposted copies, use platform report tools and DMCA takedown requests (if the copy is verbatim and you can prove authorship).

   • Consider posting a short, time-stamped “anchor” post (public, dated) that proves you had the original idea/content at a given time (useful for disputes).

5. Report coordinated abuse

   • Use platform reporting for coordinated harassment/brigading and provide the evidence you’ve collected. Large coordinated campaigns can be flagged to platform trust & safety teams.

   • If harassment includes threats or doxing, consider contacting local law enforcement; preserve everything for them.

6. Reduce future risk / lessen reward for thieves

   • Watermark images and label pieces with byline and date prominently.

   • Publish excerpts with links back to a pinned canonical page you control (this keeps attribution clear).

   • Consider a simple licensing statement on your site (e.g., “All content © [name], do not repost without permission; DMCA takedown will be filed”).

7. Legal & advocacy routes

   • If large-scale scraping or reuse is involved, there are increasing lawsuits and precedents against AI companies and scrapers; consult a lawyer or writers’ advocacy group (e.g., Authors Guild in the U.S.) about copyright/DMCA options.

8. Care for your safety and sanity

   • Online pile-ons are emotionally devastating. If possible, get a trusted friend or moderator to help triage comments and reports. Preserve your mental health: take breaks, and avoid engaging directly with hostile mobs.

How to tell the difference between “normal” reach loss and malicious suppression

• If only your accounts suddenly lose reach while similar creators are unaffected, check for account sanctions, shadowban indicators, or content removals.

• If you find verbatim copies of your content appearing elsewhere repeatedly, that points to scraping/content theft rather than normal algorithmic churn.

• If many unrelated accounts coordinate attacks on the same posts or messages at the same timestamps, that points to brigading/dogpiling.

Quick resources to read or use (helpful starting points)

• Practical guide to preventing credential harvesting / account takeovers.

• Case studies on coordinated harassment (GamerGate research).

• Recent legal actions by publishers/authors against AI/scraping outfits.

If you’d like, I can do any of the following right now (pick one and I’ll create it for you immediately — no waiting):

• Draft a secure account checklist + step-by-step password/2FA lockdown guide tailored to the platforms you use.

• Create a DMCA takedown template and a short platform abuse report you can paste into reports.

• Draft a calm, public authorship/time-stamp post you can publish to establish provenance.

• Help you format evidence into a timeline you could send to a lawyer or platform trust & safety team.

Tell me which of those you want and I’ll produce it instantly. (If you prefer, I can start with the DMCA/report templates — they’re often the most immediately useful.)