The CEO and a major stakeholder at Parler have denied viral rumors the anti-censorship platform fell victim to a cyber attack, accusing “journalistic hacks” on Twitter of propelling the fake claim on the basis of wishful thinking.
While gossip about the alleged intrusion sent #ParlerHacked to the top of the Twitter trends on Tuesday, company CEO John Matze dispelled the rumor in a post on his own platform, insisting “all allegations are fake” and that the site’s critics are simply “obsessed with us.”
“The alleged ‘Parler hack’ is a screenshot from a WordPress website that has been circulated repeatedly over the past 6 months, despite Parler’s multiple responses that we do not use WordPress products, nor WordPress databases,” Matze wrote.
This is an irresponsible rumor which uses a ‘techie’ looking WordPress config file which is only capable of confusing a journalistic hack, not an actual hacker. If Twitter continues to fact check others, they should also fact check posts such as these that spread viral misinformation.
The disinformation campaign against Parler continues with false claims about #ParlerHacked. Here’s a statement from CEO John Matze. pic.twitter.com/4Ryn5EZ8gz
Daily Dot journalist Mikael Thalen also weighed in to back up Matze’s explanation, stating that the screenshot in question is indeed old news.
While there is an unconfirmed report of Parler being hacked, the screenshot circulating of a Parler database password is old.I looked into the database leak in July and confirmed thanks to @WhiskeyNeon that it was for a site not held on the same infrastructure as the main site. https://t.co/7BUzUITwnw
He also reiterated a point made by Buzzfeed’s Jane Lytvynenko regarding the reliability of one of the main figures spreading the new rumor – Kevin Abosch, a self-avowed “artist” and “data scientist.” Abosch claimed to have seen “what looks like legit proof” that thousands of Parler accounts had been “compromised,” but declined to share any evidence.
Though his Twitter handle previously suggested an affiliation with the New York Times, Abosch quietly altered the bio on Tuesday night after netizens noted that he does not work at the outlet, and had merely been the subject of a profile story in 2018.
Even Buzzfeed is warning that you’re not a reliable source and everyone reading should know that your profile bio is deceiving because you don’t work for @nytimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re trying to damage Parler intentionally. @dbongino should sue you if so. https://t.co/BkpibxuKP7
Ah, I knew I had a receipt lying around here somewhere.Here’s the irresponsible thing he spread when Trump was infected with covid-19. pic.twitter.com/9IkmKzqtH0
Conservative radio host and Parler stakeholder Dan Bongino pointed to another individual helping to lend credence to the ‘hack’ story – Twitter-verified tech entrepreneur William LeGate, who also referenced the questionable screenshot – adding that the rumor was “designed exclusively for lib imbeciles to run with. Of course, they fell for it.”
When LeGate’s parents found out what a loser they spawned (he can’t even pull off a blackmail op), LeGate started another fake news story about Parler being hacked. Which liberal imbeciles (but I said the same thing twice) ran with because they hate Parler, and they’re dopey. pic.twitter.com/FHQByE6Uk9
It’s incredible how stupid liberals are. I mean cosmic levels of stupid. They’ll fall for anything, no matter how dumb, because they have the IQs of mutated toads. The #ParlerHack story is fake, & was designed exclusively for lib imbeciles to run with. Of course, they fell for it
Other right-of-center commentators soon echoed Matze’s call for Twitter to “fact check” the hacking allegation, urging the company to treat the rumor as it did an October story in the New York Post, which posited shady foreign business dealings by the Joe Biden family. While the article was promptly blacklisted from Twitter for several days on the basis that it was illicitly obtained “hacked material” – an assumption never actually proven – the rumors about Parler have been allowed to circulate freely.
Notice Twitter didn’t suspend anyone sharing that alleged Parler hack image, but suspended anyone who shared the Hunter Biden images even though there is *zero* evidence they were hacked
Why is Twitter allowing Misinformation about Parler to trend on their platform?Parler wasn’t hacked.Where are the Fact Checks and Misinformation labels now?These people Tweeting about it also seem to forget Twitter suffered the largest hack in their history this year. pic.twitter.com/5xUPCRK3ch
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
