Lots of commentary today on what looks like automation supporting the "I choose [at]tedcruz for [#]TXSen" campaign.
Here's a thread looking at some of the accounts weighing in, and how this works:
/1
Here's a thread looking at some of the accounts weighing in, and how this works:
/1
The account may have been established by this real person. There is a corresponding Facebook account. 
Here's a randomly selected account tweeting about Cruz -- not many followers or tweets, but some "history" (aka it's an aged account) -- right?
But what has it been doing? /2
But what has it been doing? /2
The account was probably set up by a real person in 2010. There is a corresponding Facebook account. This clearly wasn't really their thing. /3
The account probably went dormant. Then, in 2011 it becomes part of marketing botnets -- here for "ZAGG" and then apparently for BBC America. /4
Between 2014 and 2017, the account is dormant. In Nov 2017 it starts RTing Texas content /5
Look, I'm a Texan and a patriot! /6
... I'm also into far right amplifiers /7
... But suddenly I have a real thing for the Russia investigation and all the related debunking conspiracies /8
A few days ago the account discovers that Beto is bad news bears, apparently /9
Also lol /10
And now it's all in for Ted, which it has never mentioned before /11
All in all this looks like an account taken over by a troll farm. Was and could be the person. But ... /12
But on this campaign, a word of caution. The Cruz campaign is running these new-ish self-propagating ads, which allow you to click and post from your account without RTing, thus looking more organic to your followers (but also more inorganic in volume searches) /13
The self-propagating ads are smart. They muddle the lines some. Building-in organic amplification. But real people are posting those, including some verifieds.
But that is backed by the inorganic automation campaign to amplify the campaign further /14
But that is backed by the inorganic automation campaign to amplify the campaign further /14
It's a smart strategy and complex. It's designed to spread out the posts and game algorithmic attempts to detect the campaign as inorganic /15
So. Who is running Cruz's social media? Is it still some remnant of Cambridge Analytica? How long were they running these "Texas" accounts?
Lots to chew on. /16
Lots to chew on. /16
I'm not the only one unhappy with the new Cruz bot ads /17
Because this -- it's totally opaque /18
More details in this thread /19
Soooooooo, while I was looking at some "I ❤️ Ted Cruz" crap, found several postings by this Republican data analytics firm -- happily appearing on Russian state propaganda channel, RT /20
Who are these idiots, you ask? /21
Well yes, they worked on Cruz 2016 campaign. And also, for campaigns in Russia. Why wouldn't they have? /22
And your daily reminder that Kremlin trolls, and Cambridge Analytica, loved Ted before they loved Trump /23
