I'm assuming it's a mix of: concealing his looks for any photos posted online and his insecurity, as mentioned in the article.

It'd be nice if they were more explicit about their reason for mentioning it in passing - I'd assume it's to break (or at least make it harder for...) facial recognition software.

Could simply be that no one really knows, and the real reason is something you would never guess, ala "They can't convict a husband and wife for the same crime!"

That's true! My nautical lawyer told me so!

I’d bet on insecurity since the guy was trying to overcompensate. I know his type well, gamer background, early teen dabble in illegal, uneducated, turned criminal with zero morals.