Ep 11. Alpha Test

The episode Alpha Test is the eleventh episode of the Wisdom of the Crowd season one. The series follows Jeffrey Tanner, a tech genius and an entrepreneur, who creates a state-of-the-art crowdsourcing app called "Sophe". The app is designed to help solve crimes by connecting users with law enforcement to provide real-time information and assistance. In this episode, Tanner continues on his quest to find his daughter's killer, aided by Sophe and its legion of users.

The episode begins with Tanner and his team testing out a new feature in Sophe, an "alpha test." The feature allows the app to scan and interpret the tone of articles and social media posts, to gauge public sentiment on a particular topic. Tanner hopes to use this feature to help track down his daughter's killer, as the case has gone cold and public interest has waned. The team runs a test to monitor the public's opinion on a local politician, whose support for law enforcement is being debated.

Meanwhile, Tanner's ex-wife, Sandra, is struggling to maintain her sobriety. She is tempted to drink by her new boss, who offers her a glass of wine during a business meeting. Sandra is able to resist the urge to drink, but she confides in Tanner about her struggles. Tanner urges her to keep fighting and reminds her of the support system around her.

As the team reviews the results of the alpha test, they discover a large uptick in negative sentiment towards the politician they were monitoring. They realize that the source of the negativity is a group of trolls, who are manipulating the sentiment analysis by flooding social media with negative comments. The team determines that the trolls are being paid by a wealthy pro-law enforcement group, who are trying to use Sophe to influence public opinion in their favor.

Tanner is outraged by the manipulation of his app and embarks on a mission to expose the trolls and the group funding them. He enlists the help of one of his top Sophe users, a hacker named Tariq. Together, they are able to track down the leader of the trolls and confront him. They discover that the group funding the trolls is a right-wing media conglomerate.

Tanner contacts the media and publicly exposes the group's efforts to manipulate Sophe and sway public opinion. The politician they were monitoring takes notice of the scandal and is grateful to Tanner for bringing it to light. As a show of thanks, he offers to help Tanner in his search for his daughter's killer.

In the final scene, Tanner receives a new lead on his daughter's murder case from an unexpected source. He follows up on the lead and finds himself closer than ever to solving the case.

Overall, this episode of Wisdom of the Crowd is a thrilling example of how technology can be used for good, but also how it can be manipulated for nefarious purposes. Tanner's determination to not only find his daughter's killer but also to protect the integrity of his app showcases the power of perseverance and the importance of using technology responsibly.