Thread by @marcowenjones

1/ Earlier I tweeted about a new friend 'Rick O'Shay'. He tweeted me out of the blue to complain about my misuse of data science around #Ukraine #disinfo. Turns out of course he's a propagandist with a strange history that includes not even knowing how to spell his own name

2/ So Rick is handsome, even if a little generic looking. Could be AI generated, or a stolen photo? Hard to know actually. His generic bio is also alluring 'informed, educated, critical thinker'. Rick is obviously irresistible, and too chill to worry about having no banner photo

3/ He's not that active, 785 tweets in 6 years. But when he does tweet, he would rank as 🔥on troll Tinder. He ticks all the boxes. Anti-Clinton, Obama birth cert disinfo, covid disinfo, QAnon pizzagate fan. Russia Today fan. Probs loves travel too #disinformation #ukraine

4/ His tweets re Ukraine are all whataboutism, Western hypocrisy, or focusing on negative news about Zelensky. He initially described the invasion of #Ukraine as a 'mild incursion'. He also seems to talk a lot about Finland.... #disinformation

5/ What's odd, the Wayback machine reveals that this mild mannered Rick O Shay used to be called @1n_ur_F4c3, (thanks @Dragnet_News ) and had a V for Vendetta profile picture. Ok, some ppl change their handles, but what's weirder, he used to spell his surname O'Shea, not O'Shay

6/ Without this even stranger back story, Rick O Shay obviously does not appear plausible. The unusual photo, generic bio, and heady mix of pro-Russia, anti-vax and QAnon propaganda. #Ukraine

7 / Again, your daily reminder to be mindful of the many potential suspicious trolls out there who are promoting propaganda and trying to shape various narratives. Peace out Rick #UkraineRussiaWar