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Mandatory Criteria

Please note that this operation evolves in real time and the criteria may change to reflect that.

This document outlines the criteria for identifying accounts associated with the Doppelgänger operation. The criteria are divided into mandatory and supporting traits, used to evaluate potential involvement in platform manipulation efforts. These criteria help determine whether an account or post is included in a dataset.

Content Posting Accounts

• Initial Posts: Typically, these accounts' first posts relate to cryptocurrencies.

• Unique URLs: They frequently post content featuring unique URLs designed to evade platform bans. These URLs initiate a series of redirections and JavaScript executions leading to the destination website. See additional examples here: 2024-04-21 to 23 - Doppelgänger - Articles

  Stage One	Stage Two	Encoded JavaScript	Article Archive
  http://oimmi2.styleeys.shop/tw3dpt	http://massachusettspost.com/rrn9061461	https://sdgqaef.site/US-20-04_rrn?return=js.client&&se_referrer=http://oimmi2.styleeys.shop/&default_keyword=over the past&landing_url=http://massachusettspost.com/rrn9061461&name=_hTtSyx9mP3j29rMP&host=https://sdgqaef.site/US-20-04_rrn	https://web.archive.org/web/20240421024938/https://rrn.media/tusk-humiliates-protesting-farmers/

Quote Tweet Accounts

• Engagement Style: These accounts quote the content from content posting accounts. Quoting of any kind is sufficient for inclusion.
• Common but Optional: The content is usually included in a reply to a post that is itself also a reply. This prevents usernames from appearing under "view engagement." If the account does not have this type of engagement as a quote tweeting account, then it must have at least one other supporting trait.

Doppelgänger URLs

• Defining Feature: Accounts must either quote tweet a tweet with a Doppelgänger URL or post content featuring such a URL.
• Redirections and Executions: These URLs trigger specific redirections and JavaScript executions that lead to the destination website. An example of a URL sequence used in this operation is outlined below.
• Cross-Engagement: Accounts posting URLs unrelated to the Doppelgänger operation can, under certain conditions, still be included. We may include the post if either of the following actions apply:
  • The account interacts with posts containing Doppelgänger URLs, or
  • The account posts a tweet containing a Doppelgänger URL, and
  • The tweet containing the unrelated URL still has the engagement metrics typical of Doppelgänger tweets.

Supporting Criteria

These traits alone do not warrant inclusion but provide additional evidence when combined with mandatory traits.

Engagement Patterns

• Concealed Engagement: Accounts engage primarily through quote tweeting in response to another account’s reply or by posting a Doppelgänger URL tweet. These posts typically receive hundreds or thousands of quote tweets but very few likes and replies.
• No Users Visible in Engagement: Interacting with a tweet by quote-tweeting it in reply to a reply prevents identification of the accounts engaging with a tweet. See examples here: How Doppelgänger Accounts Conceal Engagement.

Account Traits