Fake Julian Assange on Twitter

One of the fun spin-offs of any notoriety on the internet these days is the creation of fake Twitter accounts.

So it comes as no surprise that an imposter has set himself up on Twitter impersonating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Named 'Julian_Ass', the charlatan's tweets poke fun at Assange's penchant for exposing "what the public needs to know".

A giveaway that the fake Assange comes from the UK is that his posts refer to "pounds", for currency.

As of noon today (NZT), the stream had 2,700 followers.

Here's a sample of a few choice tweets:

* Joining some mates for a friendly game of Cluedo, 'Julian' reveals to the other players that the perpetrator was Rev Green, in the Lounge, with the rope. "They had the right to know".

* Helping his mum wrap Christmas presents, 'Julian' plays spoiler by revealing the contents of the gift by writing a note on the outside of the wrapping. "People WANT to know!".

* We get an insight into aspects of domestic life for the whistle-blower: "Helping Mum make dinner. Spilled the beans. As per."

* He also tweets about how he puts his rogue IT skills to good use: "Hacked into the local Blockbuster's computer. Gave myself 3 free rentals. I AM THE MAN!"

As to whether the fake account holder admires the WikiLeaks founder, or reviles him, it's hard to tell.

But as the old saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

- NZHERALD STAFF