Gone are the days of guarding your secrets with your dog’s name or ‘1234’. Five times out of ten even I can’t remember my passwords, so what chance does someone else have of guessing it? Well, if you’re guessing Donald Trump’s, fairly high apparently.
Yep, you read right. Police in the Netherlands is currently questioning the man who claims to have guessed the presidential Twitter password for a second time.
Victor Grevers said in 2016 he had guessed the password ‘yourefired’. Last month he claimed he had cracked the account a second time. If true, it seems the president doesn’t quite grasp the point of a password.
The Queen wouldn’t choose ‘Corgi’, Kim Jong-un would avoid ‘uranium’. So, why would Trump go for his own slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’, or ‘MAGA2020!’?
Yet, Grevers’ claims are still up for debate. For instance, it is alleged that he sent screenshots to Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant. However, both Twitter and the White House claim no breach took place. So who do we trust? Let’s see how their responses compare:
Who said what?
“I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts. Or at least would be asked to provide additional information.” (Grevers when explaining he had bypassed the password)
de Volkskrant
“We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States” (Twitter correspondent when explaining how no breach had occurred)
Ladbible
Until any more evidence arises its seemingly Twitter’s word against Grevers.
Whether Grevers cracked the account or not, the potential issues that arise from using private companies for presidential communication remains. As the Biden administration comes in next year is it time to double down on political social media or explore new avenues? We shall find out in January.
