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The website set up to list those critical of murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk will change hands after user data was allegedly exposed online.
A website created to “out” professionals not sufficiently full of praise for murdered conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk appears to have taken itself offline following allegations that it was leaking user data.
A security researcher who calls themselves BobDaHacker got the scoop and shared details of the leak with media outlet Straight Arrow News, which ran the story overnight.
Cancel the Hate was established to “ensure that individuals in positions of power cannot hide hateful words or actions from public scrutiny”, actively recruiting users to share details of professionals who had been publicly critical of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, after he was shot and killed at a university rally in the US earlier this month.
“CancelTheHate.com exists to shine a light on hateful behaviour that poses a risk to communities particularly when it comes from people whose positions carry power and influence,” the site said.
Cancel the Hate required that its users include verifiable identification information to avoid anonymous abuse of the website.
“Every submission must include verifiable information about the submitter,” the website said.
“Submitter information is not shared or made public.”
That, however, was exactly what the site was doing, with a social media app launched alongside the main website.
“The flaw in the app, discovered by the security researcher who identifies himself as ‘BobDaHacker,’ enabled the exposure of user information such as email addresses and phone numbers,” Straight Arrow News (SAN) said in a 23 September article.
“Although email addresses were included in profile bios by default, seemingly unbeknownst to many of the platform’s users, the data could still be exposed even if privacy settings were enabled to keep it hidden.”
The hacker shared some user data with SAN, which was able to verify its authenticity, including by reaching out to someone whose data had been compromised.
“The user, who asked to remain anonymous over fears of retribution, expressed concerns that Cancel the Hate might be a ‘scam’ after receiving an influx of donation requests to their email,” SAN said.
Since then, the app has been taken down, and the “Get the apps” page on the Cancel the Hate website – https://cancelthehate.com/get-the-apps – now returns a Page Not Found error.
Similarly, the listings on the website itself have been removed, despite more than 35,000 people sharing details of individuals vocally critical of Kirk and his work to support the Trump administration’s political aims. Now, according to a disclaimer on the site, it is “in the process of being transferred to its original owner that it was created for”.
“This site has been provided to a national, and international reporting services provider and management service. Please check back soon for the new process,” the site said in its Express Concern section.
“You will soon be able to report in every single country in the world, with real-time verification and monitoring, and no longer just the United States. You will be able to search by job type, city, state, country / area, and more. The new providers will streamline this process moving forward.”
Despite the site changing hands – it was founded by US politician and real estate agent Jason Sheppard – and the taking down of the list of apparent dissenters, the site continues to sell T-shirts promoting the website.
Cyber Daily has reached out to Cancel the Hate for comment.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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