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Conspirador Norteño

@conspirator0

Sep 1, 2020 • 9 tweets • 7 min read • Read on X

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@ARTEM_KLYUSHIN

The network described in this thread has grown and evolved somewhat in the 25 days since we posted it, and has amplified @ARTEM_KLYUSHIN's latest batch of tweets, including one containing #QAnon slogan "ENJOY THE SHOW" accompanied by Trump in a Guy Fawkes mask.

cc: @ZellaQuixote

https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1291567496370290690

@ARTEM_KLYUSHIN

We found 145 accounts that retweeted or replied to @ARTEM_KLYUSHIN's recent tweets that appear to be part of the network. Most accounts have their profile location set to somewhere in the USA or UAE.

@ARTEM_KLYUSHIN

By exploring the follow relationships of the 145 accounts that interacted with @ARTEM_KLYUSHIN's tweets, we found 445 accounts that we believe to be part of this bot/sock network. Accounts are grouped into (mostly) distinct clusters of accounts that all follow each other.

The 445 accounts in this network all tweet with the same software (currently "Twitter Web App") although they have switched platforms a couple of times over their history. The accounts are mostly July or August 2020 creations. Tweets are mostly in English, followed by Arabic.

The behavior of this bot/sock network has evolved over time. Almost all content prior to April 2020 was retweets, at which point the focus switched to replies. Since the beginning of July, the network has diversified and now combines retweets, replies, and original tweets.

@ARTEM_KLYUSHIN

As was the case a month ago, this bot/sock network retweets @ARTEM_KLYUSHIN alongside various cryptocurrency and promotional accounts. It also retweets @realDonaldTrump far more frequently than it previously did, and has added @BarackObama to its retweet repertoire.

@ARTEM_KLYUSHIN

Who does this network reply to and what do the replies say? It replies to @ARTEM_KLYUSHIN as well as various promotional accounts, and the replies are repetitive, with many repeated verbatim across dozens of accounts. Most replies are in English.

The original tweets produced by this network are also repetitive, but unlike the repetitive replies, these tweets are mostly in Arabic. We've provided Google Translate's English versions of the most frequent tweets, with the caveat that the translations may be way off.

https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1291567915213488128

As before, this bot/sock network uses stolen profile pics. We don't have anything new to say on this aspect, so here's the relevant portion of our previous thread on an earlier phase of this network's activity.

https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1291567915213488128

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cc: @ZellaQuixote
conspirator0.com/p/journalism-i…

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cc: @ZellaQuixote
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cc: @ZellaQuixote

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cc: @ZellaQuixote

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cc: @ZellaQuixote

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