Twitter clone Gettr app, Trump spokesperson Jason Miller launched, the new social media network is already beset by problems. The website Gettr.com is not working.
For one, hackers quickly leveraged Gettr’s API to scrap the email addresses of more than 85,000 of its users. Username, names, and birthdays are also part of the scraped data set, which was surfaced by Alon Gal, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Hudson Rock.
When threat actors are able to extract sensitive information due to neglectful API implementations, the consequences are equivalent to a data breach and should be handled accordingly by the firm examined by regulators,” Gal told TechCrunch.
Last week, TechCrunch’s own Zack Whittaker predicted that Gettr would soon see its Data scraped through its API. The scraped data is just one of Gettr’s headaches. The app actually goes live in the App Store and Google play last month but left beta on July 4 following a launch post in politico. While the app is meant to appeal to the famous anti-china Trump sphere, Gettr apparently received early funding from Chinese billionaire Guo Wangui, an ally of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that Guo is at the center of the massive online disinformation network that spreads anti-vaccine claims and QAnon conspiracies.
On July 2, The app’s team apologized for sign-up delays citing a spike in downloads, but a bit of launch downtime is probably the least of its problems. Over the weekend, a number of official Gettr accounts, including Marjorie Taylor- Greene, Steve Bannon, and Miller’s own, were compromised, raising more questions about the app’s shoddy security practices.
On mobile, Gettr is basically a clone of Twitter. The company is positioning itself as the alternative for anyone who believes that mainstream social networks are hostile to far-right ideas. Gettr’s website is known to beckons, new users, with familiar Trumpian messaging: “Don’t be cancelled. Flex your first amendment. Celebrate Freedom.”
Also Read- Download Gettr app for Android
The former president does not have a presence on the app. Some figures from Trump’s orbit have established profiles on Gettr, including Steve Bannon (84.7K followers) and Mike Pompeo(1.3M followers)but a search for trump only brings up unofficial accounts. Bloomberg reported that Trump has no plans to join the app. (Given Gettr’s preponderance of Sonic the Hedgehog video, we can not exactly blame him.)
Conclusion
It is hard to say whether the app’s technical issues or Trump’s absence will dampen interest in Gettr. According to estimates from Sensor Tower, Gettr has racked up roughly 1.3 million installs globally since June, with Brazil trailing the U.S. As the app’s second-biggest market.
The online pro-Trump ecosystem remains scattered in mid-2021, with trump banned and roiling the conspiracy network around QAnon no longer welcome on Facebook and Twitter, Gettr positioned itself as a refuge for mainstream social media’s many outcasts. But given Gettr’s mounting early woes, the sketchy Twitter clone’s moment in the sun might already be coming to an end.
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