Researchers say they have unmasked a major QAnon influencer | TheHill – The Hill

Researchers at the intelligence firm Logically said Tuesday that they have identified an influential figure in the QAnon conspiracy community who pushed dangerous narratives about coronavirus and child trafficking.

In a new report, researchers linked the Twitter handle qthewakeup to Jeremy J.J. Sicotte, a documentary filmmaker.

The account amassed over 140,000 followers on Twitter before being banned during one of the platforms sweeps of QAnon-related accounts last year.

Sicotte denied taking part in the account when reached for comment by Logically. The Hill was unable to reach Sicotte.

Qthewakeup played an influential role in spreading the false theory that Wayfair was selling trafficked children along with expensive furniture and was identified among a key cluster of accounts pushing the Plandemic conspiracy that coronavirus is a creation of governments aiming to complete authoritarian takeovers.

Accounts associated with qthewakeup also developed significant followings on Instagram and YouTube before being removed over the last year.

A qthewakeup channel that uses similar branding to the former Twitter account is active on the messaging service Telegram, but has less than 1,500 subscribers.

Researchers at Logically said they hope that unmasking qthewakeup will reducethe account's influence and dissuade it from boosting dangerous theories.

In cases where accounts evade deplatforming or rebrand, theres value in taking away that anonymity, especially when it's being weaponized to push harmful information, lead investigator Nick Backovic told The Hill.

In some cases [anonymity] means they straight-up can lie about their identity, he continued. In other cases, because they are shielded from accountability it allows them to post stuff that is more daring, more extremist and that makes the harmful content more dangerous.

Researchers said they initially were investigating the Twitter account because of inconsistencies in the type of content it was posting but quickly found links to prominent QAnon figure Jordan Sather, who said in posts that the person running qthewakeup was a male friend who helped him film "Above Majestic," a 2018 documentary with heavy conspiracy themes.

Logically found that the accounts handle was jjfromjupiter when it was created in 2009, which researchers said appears to be a reference to Sicottes band at the time. Sicotte is a graduate of the BerkleeCollege of Music.

Researchers said that analyzing interactions with the account ultimately led them to Sicotte. They were able to verify that the Twitter account was registered to a phone number and email belonging to Sicotte.

Sicotte told Logically that Sather had used his information for the account. Sather saidhe made the account, but declined to explain the earlier activity on it when contacted by Logically. He had said in a video on his Rumble channel this year that he would be starting a podcast soon with a friend who ran qthewakeup.

The Hill reached out to Sather for further comment.

Thereport comes as many segments of the conspiracy community have moved away from QAnon branding. The shadowy figure known as Q, who alleged that former President TrumpDonald TrumpChinese apps could face subpoenas, bans under Biden executive order: report Kim says North Korea needs to be 'prepared' for 'confrontation' with US Ex-Colorado GOP chair accused of stealing more than 0K from pro-Trump PAC MORE was working to expose a global network of Democratic elites and media figures trafficking children, has not posted on the image boards they crafted the theory on for several months.

While some of the most clearly QAnon elements have faded, the broader anti-institutionalist and anti-democracy movement borne out of the theory appears to be growing in strength and following.

Previous unmaskings of QAnon influencers have led to changes, researchers say.

After a Logically investigation revealed the identity of the individual behind QMap, a heavily trafficked site that compiled Qs posts, the website was taken down.

Sicotte most recently produced a film about hospice care called Death Is But a Dream that was released earlier this year.

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Researchers say they have unmasked a major QAnon influencer | TheHill - The Hill