A self-described “cyberterrorist” who rose to infamy as a member of the hacktivist group Anonymous is taking credit for the recent breach of GiveSendGo that released the names of donors to the Canadian trucker convoy.
In a video posted to his TikTok account, Aubrey Cottle claimed he hacked the fundraising website that the “Freedom Convoy” truckers used to raise money for their protests.
GIVESENDGO HACKED, NAMES OF FREEDOM CONVOY DONORS LEAKED
“Yes, I tossed the trucker. I hacked GiveSendGo, and I’d do it again. I’d do it a hundred times. I did it. I did it. Come at me. What are you going to do to me?” Cottle, also known as “Kirtaner,” said in the video. “I’m literally a famous f***ing cyberterrorist, and you think that you can scare me?”
Cottle previously posted a TikTok video on Feb. 7 saying, “It would be a real shame if something were to happen to GiveSendGo.” On Sunday, GiveSendGo was hacked, and over 92,000 names of donors on the platform were leaked online. The hack also redirected the GiveSendGo.com visitors to a new webpage featuring an essay criticizing the platform posted over a video of Disney’s Frozen.
“The Canadian government has informed you that the money you a-holes raise to fund an insurrection is frozen,” the essay said. “You are committed to funding anything that keeps the raging fire of misinformation going until it burns the world’s collective democracies down.”
This is Aubrey Cottle. He hacked GiveSendGo and he doesn’t care if anyone knows it. He’s live on TikTok bragging about doxing and releasing the info that’s currently getting thousands of people fired from their jobs for donating to the Freedom Convoy. pic.twitter.com/HJW7BBRc4z
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 16, 2022
GiveSendGo managed to get its website back up on Tuesday. The “Freedom Convoy” has raised nearly $9.5 million on the platform, topping the nearly $9 million the protesters raised on GoFundMe before being booted from the platform.
An additional 5GB of data from GiveSendGo was also leaked Wednesday that included “limited credit card data” and source code for the website, Vice News reported. GiveSendGo founder Jacob Wells called on the FBI to investigate the hack and said the company will take legal action.
In a statement Wednesday, GiveSendGo acknowledged that its website was hacked Sunday but said “no credit card information was leaked. No money was stolen.” It said the company shut down the website following the hack and conducted several security audits before bringing the website back online.
“We are in a battle. We didn’t expect it to be easy. This has not caused us to be afraid. Instead, it’s made it even more evident that we can not back down. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and the countless emails letting us know you are standing with us,” the company said.
Cottle did not elaborate on whether he acted alone in the hack. He said he also hacked Gab, Parler, Truth Social, and Epic Hosting, web services run by conservatives often founded due to concerns with anti-conservative content moderation policies on other social media platforms. He did not elaborate on his motivations. Last week, he posted one video expressing his joy that an Ontario court froze donations to the “Freedom Convoy” from GiveSendGo.
The Washington Post has been emailing individuals who appeared in the GiveSendGo leak.
The Washington Post is contacting people whose donation info was leaked and who gave as little as 40 dollars to the truckers to ask them why they did so
Email provided to me by a source pic.twitter.com/qbzebYyHiP
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) February 16, 2022
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The “Freedom Convoy” is a protest led by Canadian truckers that started against a vaccine or test mandate for truckers but has since expanded to include demonstrations against broader COVID-19 policies in Canada. The heart of the protests has taken place in Canada’s capital Ottawa, in which many truckers have parked their rigs in the middle of critical intersections and roads.
Top Canadian officials including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have described the truckers’ actions in Ottawa as a “blockade” and said they must stop blocking the streets. Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday, giving the Canadian government the power to take aggressive actions against the truckers, including freezing their bank accounts, towing away vehicles, and arresting them.
