Talk:Michael S. Smith II

What has happened to this article?
This article appears to have sustained major vandalism. The scanty information currently being given is only a tiny fraction of the original article's content, as can be seen by scrolling through the History. (The current version is so uninformative it's a joke--I'm not even sure it qualifies as a legitimate Wikpedia article.)

By contrast, look at how much information this March 2017 version of the article has: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_S._Smith_II&oldid=768954704

A lot of the information in that version looks legit...why was it deleted? Does anyone know what's happening with this article? Chillowack (talk) 08:24, 26 August 2017 (UTC)

There appears to have been a COI and a bit of sock-puppetry that trimmed this article down. Beecham12 —Preceding undated comment added 13:52, 14 September 2018 (UTC)

Possible coi
There appears to be the possibility of a COI here. Please see Sockpuppet investigations/Natsecobserver, an investigation opened by an editor other than myself, and the talk pages of the three editors that are the subject of the investigation.--Epeefleche (talk) 03:01, 26 July 2011 (UTC)

Specious Claim of Sockpuppetry
The claim of sockpuppetry is specious, and it would seem plausible this claim has been made by Epeefleche in "bad faith" in an effort to counter the legitimacy of updates to another article about the Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation. Please note that Epeefleche made several attempts to remove updates I made to this article; these updates entailed removing dated information pursuant to review of the About Page contained on the organization's website. Additional updates removed by Epeefleche included entries which referenced sources such as documents released to the public by government organizations like the IRS and Secretary of State of South Carolina. While adjustments to the article about Michael S. Smith II have been made by several user accounts from the same IP address, these activities do not constitute an example of sockpuppetry as defined by Wikipedia.--natsecobserver (talk) --Natsecobserver (talk) 08:12, 26 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: The claim of sockpuppetry was found to be valid, and Natsecobserver was blocked, as can be seen here:  Sockpuppet investigations/Natsecobserver.--Epeefleche (talk) 05:00, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

Merger proposal
I'm not sure if either of these article by themselves warrant an article (or even both together), but there certainly doesn't seem to be sufficient RS support for two articles. Therefore, as a first step, I suggest a merger into Kronos Advisory, LLC.--Epeefleche (talk) 05:24, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

bio page source
There's a biography available in SCHotline. The bio doesn't seem to have transferred over to the current incarnation of the publication. That should provide some raw material to help regularize the article. TMLutas (talk) 05:32, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Definition of Expert?
Subject of article is listed as an "expert". What criteria define "expert" and can subject be listed as such at this point in time? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Beecham12 (talk • contribs) 14:27, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

Threat by Gorka
The threat was mentioned during the phone call. The recording starts a few minutes into the call and thus missed the original threat, but the topic is revisited later during the call and Gorka doesn't contradict Smith when he brings up the fact that Gorka started the call by threatening to sue him. --Tataral (talk) 22:03, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

COI
Natsecobserver has had multiple warnings on this issue and even used sockpuppets before (see this Talk page). The overblown style is not encyclopedic. Given the bloat of edits on this page by this user and that he or she began the Kronos Advisory page (since deleted) it seems that this user -- who is so intent on bolstering the profile of the article's subject with every minute detail and aggrandizing the significance by wikilinking to the source rather than just putting in a reference -- has a significant conflict of interest and may even be the subject himself. JesseRafe (talk) 14:55, 6 March 2017 (UTC)

Excessive detail, controversy section
User:RetiredNewsProducer - Wikipedia is not a newspaper -- see WP:NOTNEWS, and we do not record blow-by-blow of mini-scandals in WP.

Also we generally don't do "controversy" sections. Please see WP:CSECTION and also Controversial articles. The stuff with Gorka and China are just part of his career. Jytdog (talk) 23:57, 29 June 2018 (UTC)

Left PhD program?
User:RetiredNewsProducer is there some source that says that Smith is no longer in the PhD program? Am asking due to this edit, where you wrote that he "briefly pursued a PhD ....". If there is no source, what is the basis for your having written that? Thanks. Jytdog (talk) 19:29, 30 June 2018 (UTC)
 * User:RetiredNewsProducer please reply. On what basis did you add to Wikipedia that Smith "briefly pursued" a PhD? Jytdog (talk) 21:24, 30 June 2018 (UTC)

Request edit on 5 March 2020
The subject of the article (Michael S. Smith II) has requested an update to his bio via Twitter:

"I have not been a Republican for two years. It has been three years since I ran a company that was involved with counterterrorism work."

Update 2020-04-29: The Twitter account cited above is a verified account, i.e., Twitter has verified the identity of the user as Michael S. Smith II. Smith is not a Wikipedia user, and is making the request, which I agreed to pass along. I recommend contacting him directly instead of using me as an intermediary. If the subject of the article is not a reliable enough source of information regarding his work and party affiliation, I'm sure he will be happy to provide whatever additional documentation to bring the outdated article up-to-date so it reflect current and accurate information.

--Dsoltesz (talk) 03:16, 9 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Pictogram voting question.svg Question: Are there any secondary sources you can find to back this up besides a self published Twitter source first? If there are reliable secondary sources I would rather use those than Twitter if possible.     Alucard 16  ❯❯❯ chat?    07:49, 20 March 2020 (UTC)


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made.  P.I. Ellsworth   ed.  put'r there 12:39, 20 March 2020 (UTC)

Requested edit
The article Michael S. Smith II is about me. I wish for several errors to be corrected. The article is locked due to extensive vandalism that corresponded with a public dispute between me and Sebastian Gorka, a matter which is covered in one of the article's reference materials (See References, No. 14).

The article opens by describing me as a "an American who runs a counterterrorism consulting business." This is not accurate. As noted later within the article, that business, named Kronos Advisory, is no longer operating; it closed in January 2017. The opening also describes me as a Republican, which I am not, having disassociated from the party. Further, I do not believe my party affiliation is relevant, as I am not notable for being affiliated with a political party.

Correction Request 1

Please revise the opening to reference my fields of work and current professional position as follows: Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst, an international consultant in the fields of preventing and countering violent extremism, and lecturer in Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies program.

References to reliable sources for this change:

Johns Hopkins University Faculty Bio Page, Michael S. Smith II: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst, open source intelligence (OSINT) specialist, and an international consultant in the fields of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)."

Lawfare (blog) Contributors Bio Page, Michael S. Smith, II: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst who specializes in the Islamic State’s and al-Qaeda’s influence operations, an international consultant in the field of countering violent extremism whose recent projects include work on a United States government-funded assistive guidance program in the Balkans, and a teaching fellow in Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies program."

McKelvey, Tara (August 10, 2020). "Biden VP pick: Susan Rice, the diplomat and lightning rod." BBC News: "Michael S Smith II, a terrorism analyst who is a Johns Hopkins University lecturer ..."

Hincks, Joseph (April 29, 2020). "With the World Busy Fighting COVID-19, Could ISIS Mount a Resurgence." Time: "... says Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst, and lecturer at Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies Program."

Zachary Cohen, Sarah Westwood, Jim Acosta & Pamela Brown (July 12, 2019). "Trump again considering replacing intelligence chief Dan Coats." CNN: "Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and teaching fellow in the Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University ..."

Seldin, Jeff (May 17, 2019). "Reeling in Syria, Iraq, Islamic State Tries to Surge Online." Voice of America: "All of this, said Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and teaching fellow in Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies program, ..."

See also my personal bio site, which is linked in the article about me: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst, open source intelligence specialist, an internationally recognized expert on the influence operations of Salafi-Jihadist groups, and lecturer in Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies program."

See also my LinkedIn account bio sketch, which has been used by editors of the Wikipedia article about me as a source: "I am a terrorism analyst and internationally recognized expert on the influence operations of Salafi-Jihadist groups, open source intelligence specialist, and lecturer in Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies and Intelligence Analysis graduate programs."


 * ✅ Please note that independent sources are generally more useful as references. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 07:04, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

Change Request 2

Please remove reference to me as a Republican in the opening, and in the bio box. This is not accurate. This was noted in a previous edit request made by another party.


 * ✅ I apologise for the delay in this change. I suggest to the editors who hesitated about this in March 2020 that it is an example of WP:SELFSOURCE. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 07:04, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

Change Request 3

Please add the following to the Career section of the article: Since 2019, Smith has served as a lecturer in Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies program.

References to reliable sources for this change:

Johns Hopkins University Faculty Bio Page, Michael S. Smith II: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst, open source intelligence (OSINT) specialist, and an international consultant in the fields of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE)."

Lawfare (blog) Contributors Bio Page, Michael S. Smith, II: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst who specializes in the Islamic State’s and al-Qaeda’s influence operations, an international consultant in the field of countering violent extremism whose recent projects include work on a United States government-funded assistive guidance program in the Balkans, and a teaching fellow in Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies program."

McKelvey, Tara (August 10, 2020). "Biden VP pick: Susan Rice, the diplomat and lightning rod." BBC News: "Michael S Smith II, a terrorism analyst who is a Johns Hopkins University lecturer ..."

Hincks, Joseph (April 29, 2020). "With the World Busy Fighting COVID-19, Could ISIS Mount a Resurgence." Time: "... says Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst, and lecturer at Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies Program."

Zachary Cohen, Sarah Westwood, Jim Acosta & Pamela Brown (July 12, 2019). "Trump again considering replacing intelligence chief Dan Coats." CNN: "Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and teaching fellow in the Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University ..."

Seldin, Jeff (May 17, 2019). "Reeling in Syria, Iraq, Islamic State Tries to Surge Online." Voice of America: "All of this, said Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and teaching fellow in Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies program, ..."

See also my personal bio site, which is linked in the article about me: "Michael S. Smith II is a terrorism analyst, open source intelligence specialist, an internationally recognized expert on the influence operations of Salafi-Jihadist groups, and lecturer in Johns Hopkins University’s Global Security Studies program."

See also my LinkedIn account, which has been used by editors of the Wikipedia article about me.


 * ✅ Again, note that independent sources are more useful as references. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 07:04, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

Change Request 4

Please add the following to the conclusion of the Career section: In addition to his work in academia, Smith has been a contributor to Foreign Affairs and Lawfare (blog).

References:

Foreign Affairs, Authors Directory: Michael S. Smith II

Lawfare, Contributors: Michael S. Smith, II

Change Request 5

Please add a photo of me to the article that I have uploaded from my Flickr account: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_S._Smith_II.jpg
 * ✅: Image added – Thjarkur (talk) 10:01, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by MichaelSSmithII (talk • contribs) 21:27, 12 September 2020 (UTC) MichaelSSmithII (talk) 12:27, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

Requested edit
I am the subject of this article. I am requesting additional edits to add important details for clarity, and to provide context for the subject’s noteworthiness. This article was substantially vandalized several years ago, after I became involved in a public dispute with a high-profile political figure, Sebastian Gorka. Subsequent edits reflect further efforts to disparage me (See use of the term pundit to describe the article’s subject; pundit is generally a pejorative term, and its use makes it difficult to ascertain that the subject is a widely recognized subject matter expert versus a commentator). Subsequent edits also appear deliberately vague, and intended to make it difficult to determine why the subject is noteworthy. For example, these edits do not mentioning names of major media organizations that have covered my work as a terrorism analyst, and called on me to provide comments as a recognized subject matter expert on topics covered in their reporting. Another example of deliberately omitted relevant information: The article does not acknowledge that I have published with one of the highest Impact Factor-rated academic publications in the area of International Relations, Foreign Affairs, among other notable influential policy-focused an news publications. Additionally, the information concerning political affiliation is no longer accurate. Please remove the sentence concerning this in the text concerning my career, and provide clarification in a new section titled Political Affiliation.

Conclude the section titled Education with the following:

In recognition of his academic accomplishments as a graduate student, he was inducted into the national honor society Phi Kappa Phi.

Revise section titled Career to add relevant details for clarity, context, and to better establish the subject’s noteworthiness:

Smith is a terrorism analyst who specializes in the influence operations of Salafi-Jihadist groups, a consultant in the fields of preventing and countering violent extremism, and a lecturer in the Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University whose perspectives on threats posed by terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS are frequently sought by government officials. He has been described by CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen, who also serves on the editorial board of the leading academic journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, as “one of the world’s leading experts on jihadist propaganda, and also ISIS.” In addition to having testified before the United States Senate on such topics as terrorists’ online recruitment and incitement campaigns, Smith has published articles with such high-impact factor ranked academic publications as Foreign Affairs, influential policy publications like Lawfare , and his scholarly work includes a chapter on ISIS in the first edition of the Routledge Handbook of International Relations in the Middle East.

In 2011, Smith cofounded Kronos Advisory, a security consulting firm with retired Marine General James E. Livingston. Kronos was described by Foreign Policy magazine as “a leading open source intelligence consultancy.”

In 2011, Kronos presented a report authored by Smith to the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus that was focused on the relationship between Iran’s Quds Force and senior Al-Qaeda figures. Entered into the Congressional Record, the report noted that top al Qaeda figures like Saif al-Adl found refuge in Iran soon after the 9/11 attacks. Kronos later provided The New York Times a previously unpublished passport photo of al-Adl to publish with a story, quoting Smith, about the government of Iran allowing al-Adl and other top al Qaeda figures to leave the country in 2015.

In January 2012, it was reported that Kronos presented policymakers in Washington, DC another report authored by Smith that assessed extremist elements with links to Al Qaeda were poised to become powerholders in Libya following the revolution that toppled the Qadhafi regime. The same year, a report prepared by Smith was used as a source document for the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012, which was signed by President Barack Obama on December 28, 2012.

In 2013, Kronos began briefing the United States government on ISIS’s aspiration to perpetrate terrorist attacks in Europe. . In December 2014, Smith and former DIA Director Michael Flynn met with then newly-appointed Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS General John R. Allen at his office at the State Department to discuss ways to disrupt threats posed by ISIS. In 2015, it was reported Smith was serving as a liaison between hactivist collectives like Ghost Security that were tracking ISIS’s activities on social media and government agencies, including the FBI. In 2015, it was reported that information Ghost Security Group presented Smith was used to prevent a terrorist attack in Tunisia. Commenting on the collaboration between Smith and these hactivists for a story published by Foreign Policy in 2015, former CIA Director David Petraeus said that Smith “has shared with me some of the open source data he has provided to various U.S. agency officials, and I can see how that data would be of considerable value to those engaged in counter-terrorism initiatives.” It has also been reported that Smith traveled to the UAE in 2015 to meet with counterterrorism officials about countering ISIS online.

By 2016, along with assisting various government agencies interested in his work tracking terrorist activity on social media, Smith had made frequent appearances on television news programs and become an oft-quoted expert source on terrorism for major media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. In 2016, in recognition of his work "funneling hacker tips" about ISIS's activities online to government officials, Foreign Policy magazine included Smith among the "Moguls" on its annual list of "100 Leading Global Thinkers", and Fast Company magazine ranked Smith 14 on its list of the "100 Most Creative People in Business" for "helping hack the bad guys".

In January 2017 Kronos was dissolved. Smith reportedly considered taking a position in the Pentagon at the request of then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, but decided to instead pursue a doctorate degree due to his concerns about Sebastian Gorka's role in the Trump administration. In February 2017, Smith became involved in a public dispute with Gorka (then a senior advisor in the Trump administration) after Smith criticized Gorka on social media and in comments quoted in a story published by The Wall Street Journal. Newsweek published a recording shared by Smith of a phone conversation between Smith and Gorka, in which Gorka postured a threat to have the White House legal counsel pursue charges against Smith for calling Gorka a “#FakeTerrorismExpert” in tweets that were critical of Gorka.

Beginning in October 2017, Smith served as a fellow at the Washington, DC-based think tank New America for five months.

With representatives of Twitter, Facebook and Google, Smith provided expert testimony during the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism's October 31, 2017 hearing focused on extremist content and Russian disinformation online. In his testimony, Smith argued anonymity provided to social media users by major companies has increased the attractiveness of their technologies for terrorist groups like ISIS and he suggested that legislation should be implemented to compel tech companies to restrict VPN use on their platforms only to those whose identities they know.

In February 2018, Smith tweeted statements about the Chinese government that were described by HuffPost and various online news commentators as racist. New America terminated Smith's fellowship in response to his tweet and Smith apologized for it.

Since 2019, Smith has been a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's Global Security Studies program. Also since 2019, he has worked as a preventing and countering violent extremism consultant on a United States government-funded assistive guidance project with the ministry of security in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as a consultant with the International Spy Museum.

Political Affiliation

Although Smith has been described as a Republican in reporting by major media, using his verified Twitter account, Smith has tweeted that he has not been affiliated with the Republican Party since 2017.

MichaelSSmithII (talk) 21:42, 29 November 2020 (UTC)