THREAD: Let's talk about an interesting bot that was set up as part of a larger Russian attack on us, but recently changed its stripes:
It goes by @propornotapp, was created using infrastructure in Belgium, & has recently started following accounts we interact with. /1
It previously went by "CensoredByPropOrNot" & was an obvious attempt to legitimize Russian propaganda, delegitimize our efforts, & delegitimize related efforts broadly.
This is what it looked like before its recent rebrand: /2 web.archive.org/web/2017041509…
We expect this rebranding of "@propornotapp" will be used to pretext information from resistance members, delegitimize us & the resistance, & spread chaos & confusion amongst the allies generally.
This is what it looks like after its recent rebrand: /3 web.archive.org/web/2018091019…
It was originally created to cry wolf about "McCarthyism!" after the election, & thus discredit us & the emerging #resistance community, as per the official Russian state propaganda line shortly after the election.
It was nonsense, but they tried! /4
pulsemedia.org/2016/09/10/rus…
The @propornotapp account is heavily automated, & our friend @conspirator0 has throughly dug into it in a comprehensive thread here: /5
It was originally created as part of the Kremlin's counterattack against us, along with other efforts from various Russian useful idiots & intelligence assets. Did you know the Kremlin tried to create a fake site discrediting us? Didn't work 😆🇷🇺💩 /6 buzzfeednews.com/article/craigs…
Its creators originally intended to use it to discredit us, so they set it up to automatically post Russian propaganda, as an act of "defiance", & complain that we were "censoring" them.
All that did is feed us with more data about their MO 😎❤️🇺🇸 /7
We'd like to thank all the other researchers/activists who helped, especially @conspirator0 @ZellaQuixote @ushadrons @josh_emerson @OpWolverines et al.
If you see something that aligns with the Kremlin's strategic objectives, say something - & GET OUT THE VOTE! 😎❤️🇺🇸 /END
@conspirator0 @ZellaQuixote @ushadrons @josh_emerson @OpWolverines UPDATE: Less than two hours after us & @conspirator0 published our parallel threads about this account... It's gone.
BOOM! Good riddance - another tool of Putin's brutally corrupt mafia-fascist dictatorship bites the dust 😆🇷🇺💩
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