US Capitol siege: Hacker reveals massive data leak on social networking app Parler

The rioters, who stormed the Capitol Hill building on January 6, may have unknowingly shared their GPS coordinates while posting videos on social networking platform Parler, which is mostly used by far-right supporters. An ethical hacker from Austria recently took to Twitter to share "unprocessed raw files" as uploaded to Parler with all metadata, showing information such as megapixels, average bitrate, GPS latitude and longitude of suspected insurrectionists who may have been involved in the January 6 Capitol Hill unrest. 

 Read: Parler Sues Amazon After Latter Suspended Its Services For Inciting US Capitol Violence

The data could be used in identifying the rioters who may have been involved in breaching of security at the US Congress building. According to The Independent, the hacker was previously involved in helping academic researchers move and store Parler data to another source so it can be further analysed for research purposes. 

Read: Amazon To Remove Parler From Its Web Hosting Service Over Violence Encouraging Posts

Parler faces backlash

Parler has faced a lot of backlash since January 6 riot as it is believed the platform was widely used by rioters to coordinate during the unrest, who also shared real-time pictures and videos from the site of the insurrection. Amazon suspended Parler from its web hosting service, accusing the platform of not taking any measure to prevent the spread of content that helped incite the violence. Apple and Google have also removed Parler from their respective app stores. 

Read: Parler Suspended From Google Play Store Over Its Role In The US Capitol Siege

A riotous mob laid siege on the US Congress building last Wednesday while a joint session to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory was underway. The mob, carrying flags in support of Donald Trump, infiltrated the building moments after the president addressed a crowd outside Capitol Hill. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died during the storming of the building, which has since sparked calls for Trump's resignation. 

Read: After Google, Apple Removes Parler From App Store

(Image Credit: AP)