Hackers reportedly scrape data of 90 000 GETTR users

Hackers have reportedly scraped the data of 90 000 users on GETTR, the social media site founded by an adviser of former US President Donald Trump.

On 6 July, Vice reported that a user on a hacking forum posted a database allegedly containing user data from the site.

The database included users’ email addresses, usernames, statuses, and locations.

Vice reported that it verified the database by trying to sign up to the site using three of the email addresses listed on it. In addition, a GETTR user confirmed their email was on the database.

GETTR did not respond to the report. It’s not clear if the database includes the data of all of GETTR’s users.

The site is the brainchild of Trump senior adviser, Jason Miller. It operates similar to Twitter with posts and trending topics, though it is regarded as a political alternative to it.

The scrape comes days after GETTR’s official launch on 4 July.

The day after launch, Insider reported the site was briefly hacked. The hacker changed the usernames of several of the site’s prominent users. The users included Miller, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and US Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene.

At the time, multiple security experts warned GETTR was susceptible to hackers.

Alternative platforms launch in the wake of Trump ban

GETTR was one of several alternative platforms established in the wake of Facebook, Twitter, and Google banning Trump earlier this year. The platforms also include Frank, set up by Trump supporter Mike Lindell.

Meanwhile, Trump briefly set up a WordPress blog in 2021. However, he later shut it down, reportedly due to low readership.

Last month, Facebook limited the former president’s ban to two years after it was initially unlimited.

After the two-year period, Facebook will determine if his accounts will remain suspended.

Featured image: Unsplash/Blake Connally

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