Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
View Regular
Conspirador Norteño Profile picture
Conspirador Norteño
@conspirator0
Data Scientist/Musician/Participant in the General Confusion @trutherbotprop Resist autocracy and research/counter disinformation. I serve the realm.

Sep 11, 2020, 6 tweets

What's with all these accounts linking the same boat parade YouTube video at the exact same time? #Spamtastic #FridayFeeling?

cc: @ZellaQuixote

Answer: a botnet, consisting of 12 accounts with nearly identical tweet schedules linking YouTube videos via Plume for Android. This botnet has shared 640 different YouTube videos since June 1st 2020, all but one of which was tweeted by all 12 accounts.

Did we mention that these 12 accounts are tweeting on nearly identical schedules? On average, all 12 accounts tweet each YouTube video over a span of 5 seconds (tables show the most recent examples as of the time we pulled data).

What YouTube channels does this botnet link? It's mostly a mix of media from China, the Philippines, and the USA (Fox is a recurring theme). Trump's official YouTube channel also shows up prominently.

Finally, this is not this network's first rodeo. Older content (2015-2019) was mostly sent via TweetDeck, and is mostly centered on events in the Philippines. The accounts retweeted each other profusely during this era (as opposed to repeating each tweet on each account).

H/T @areidross for the lead.

Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.

A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.

Keep scrolling