A man found the most recent White House correspondence briefing a bit dull, so he did what any other person would do: He posted a tweet complaining about it. A few moments later he received a reply from the official White House Twitter account. It was an apology which included a link to "something more fun."
Another moment or two passed, and then the Internet burst out in a collective laugh.
The link provided by the fellow who was running the White House Twitter account at that time — Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council — led to a YouTube video of singer Rick Astley performing his 1987 hit single "Never Gonna Give You Up."
The White House had rickrolled a Twitter follower.
For those unfamiliar with the practice of rickrolling, it's a common Internet prank which involves tricking someone into clicking a link to that particular Rick Astley video. This process frequently relies on obfuscated URLs, misdirection, or — as in the White House's case — the element of surprise.
While we're not sure whether the White House rickroll was motivated by pure silliness or the simple frustration which can stem from a flood of complaints, we're definitely certain that it is among our favorite harmless Internet pranks this week.
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Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.