Republicans’ accounts hacked after joining pro-Trump social media platform Gettr
Multiple accounts on the newly launched pro-Trump social media site GETTR were hacked after it was launched on Sunday, including big-name Republicans such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The accounts were taken over by hackers who posted pro-Palestine messages and phrases such as "@JubaBaghad was here :)," according to The Wrap. Some usernames were also changed.
Former President Donald Trump’s team launched the new social media platform on July 4 in response to Big Tech's crackdown on Trump and restrictions of free speech affecting users worldwide.
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Trump adviser and CEO of the new site, Jason Miller, said the newly-launched social media platform was inspired by the idea of “getting together,” he told Fox News in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“You know you’re shaking things up when they come after you,” Miller said in a statement regarding the hacked accounts.
“The problem was detected and sealed in a matter of minutes, and all the intruder was able to accomplish was change a few user names," Miller continued. "The situation has been rectified and we’ve already had more than half a million users sign up for our exciting new platform!”
GETTR, which advertises itself as “a marketplace of ideas,” allows users to post messages with up to 777 characters, six photos, a GIF or a video in the post.
The site's mission statement is described as “fighting cancel culture, promoting common sense, defending free speech, challenging social media monopolies, and creating a true marketplace of ideas."
The new social media platform is similar in format to Twitter. It's available at the App Store, where it's advertised as a “non-bias social network for people all over the world” for “anyone to express their opinion freely.”
"This ties in with Independence Day," Miller told Fox News. "Independent from social media monopolies, independent from cancel culture; embracing free speech — our launch on Sunday [Independce Day] is very much intentional."
Although it was officially launched on Sunday, the site's first post was on July 1.
Users are also able to import their previous tweets to the new platform. Miller said the new platform is not limited to just conservatives and is open to people “from all political stripes,” though many of its users identify as conservative.
“Let’s get together, we’re talking about a sense of community," Miller told Fox News. "We think it will ultimately be a global platform — not just conservatives in the U.S."
Some of its prominent users include former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, conservative author Dinesh D’Souza and the conservative news outlet Newsmax.
Trump has not formed an account on the new platform yet, and Miller said Trump did not fund it.
The GETTR platform saw over half a million people sign up on July 4, and it was briefly hacked during its launch, Reuters also reported.
On Monday, the app was ranked No. 3 among social networking apps in Apple’s App Store.
The former president was banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Platforms alleged allowing his account to stay active risked the incitement of further violence.
Before being banned, Trump had 88 million followers on Twitter, 32 million on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram, according to NBC News.
“We certainly hope President Trump will join the platform, but I’ll leave it to him to make decisions on what he’s doing," Miller said, noting he would also “love” for President Joe Biden to join the platform.
The new platform will challenge the social media monopolies, and Miller said the “cutting edge technology” will be “the envy of the social media world.”
Trump had previously launched a one-way communication media platform, The Desk of Donald J. Trump, on his website, but it was removed in June, less than a month after being online.
After this platform was removed, Miller announced that it was a precursor to another social media platform to come.
"I do think that we’re going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months here, with his own platform," Miller told Fox News host Howard Kurtz of "#MediaBuzz” in March. "And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media, it’s going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does."
Emily Wood is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: emily.wood@christianpost.com
