A spokesperson for Donald Trump stated Wednesday that his son’s account on the platform X, formerly Twitter, had been compromised. This followed a series of bizarre posts from Donald Trump Jr.’s profile.
“Don’s account has been hacked,” Andrew Surabian posted on X, clarifying a claim of the elder Trump’s death was “obviously not true.” The hacked account also falsely proclaimed Trump Jr. would run for president himself. Within minutes, the fake announcement spread to over 1,000 reshares and hundreds of thousands of views.
Another post threatened North Korea, while a pinned post insulted President Biden with a racial slur. Roughly 30 minutes after surfacing, the content was deleted.
The incident raises fresh concerns about X securing accounts, especially those of prominent political figures, as the 2024 elections approach. The ability to rapidly spread false information from high-profile profiles risks amplifying dangerous misinformation.
X must bolster protections to avoid hacked accounts weaponizing engagement. For a platform aspiring to be a digital town square, securing discourse is paramount, particularly among influential users.
