Rennie Westcott

Rennie Westcott is a Lead Intelligence Analyst at Blackbird.AI - researching & uncovering disinformation networks and state-backed information campaigns for public sector and private enterprise clients. Rennie specializes in deep & dark web investigations, and has deep experience investigating chat and forum sites for foreign malign influence campaigns, propaganda, and fraud.

Rennie Westcott is a Lead Intelligence Analyst at Blackbird.AI - researching & uncovering disinformation networks and state-backed information campaigns for public sector and private enterprise clients. Rennie specializes in deep & dark web investigations, and has deep experience investigating chat and forum sites for foreign malign influence campaigns, propaganda, and fraud.

A businessman stands in a high-rise office at night viewing a holographic global network map over a lit cityscape.

Iran blends cyber warfare with narrative warfare: Narrative hijacking after a cyber incident

Rennie Westcott, RAV3N Research

A step-by-step forensic look at how reporting of a wiper cyber incident targeting a major technology firm rapidly shifted into narrative hijacking and manipulation by state actors and influencers.

A concerned man in a suit studies a laptop displaying a lock icon beside a fake AI-generated obituary with errors.

AI-Powered Obituary Scams: The New Frontier in Targeted Phishing

Rennie Westcott

Threat actors now leverage language models to extract personal information from obituaries, creating hyper-personalized scams targeting grieving relatives. The elderly face heightened risk due to emotional vulnerability and limited AI literacy.

A futuristic robotic blackbird with glowing cyan eyes stands beside a luminous purple DNA double helix and molecular

The DNA of a Narrative Attack: The Narratives Surrounding 23andMe’s Bankruptcy and Sale of Customers’ Genetic Data

Rennie Westcott, Amanda Burkard

The potential sale of 23andMe’s genetic data has raised urgent questions about consumer privacy, legal oversight, and data misuse. While official statements remain cautious, online narratives rapidly shape public conversation.

A blackbird perched on a smartphone amid Telegram icons and a digital network, with Kremlin silhouettes and a Russian flag.

Decoding Russia’s Telegram Propaganda Ecosystem

Rennie Westcott

An in-depth analysis reveals a vast network of pro-Russia propaganda channels on the messaging platform Telegram, illustrating the evolving nature of state-sponsored narrative attacks and narrative attack campaigns.

A polygonal crow perches on a geometric peak beside a mechanical brain with gears, robots, and communication towers under a

Welcome To Thoughtnet: How AI-Powered Bots Are Reshaping Cyberwar

Rennie Westcott

Cybersecurity teams must now contend with the Thoughtnet–an emerging threat that blends coordinated bot networks, AI-generated content, and targeted cyber attacks to undermine security and trust online.

A crow perched atop a cracked, glowing mountain peak beneath a starry night sky with the Milky Way and a distant moon.

From “End Times” To “Tectonic Weapons”: Unpacking Narratives Around The Earthquake That Rocked New York

Emily Kohlman, Sarah Boutboul, Rennie Westcott

Blackbird.AI's narrative intelligence technology and RAV3N research team identified key conspiratorial narratives following the recent earthquake and solar eclipse, providing insights into the anatomy of misinformation and disinformation during news events.

A dark, dramatic globe looms over masses of people with birds and a cityscape silhouette in a dystopian scene.

The Navalny Narrative: Using Compass By Blackbird.AI To Expose The Narrative Attack Machine

Jessica Terry, Sarah Boutboul, Rennie Westcott

Blackbird.AI's RAV3N Narrative Intelligence and Research Team reveals the tactics used by hyper-agenda-driven communities to spread false narratives about Navalny's death.