Are the people who promote a “contact protocol” to purposely facilitate extraterrestrial contact really trapping people into becoming entangled with the dark extraterrestrials?

You are correct in asking the question whether the contact protocol is there for beneficial or harmful purposes. It is in fact the latter, and very much so. This is a snare. It is no different than a bear trap in the woods. It will capture the unwary and begin their involvement with the extraterrestrials, and this will not end well if pursued because their desire is to subjugate all, and this gives them a simple way to size people up, so to speak, and to gauge their readiness for further manipulation.