PM Modi’s Twitter Profile Compromised Tweeted Fake Bitcoin Adoption Tweet
On Sunday morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a tweet saying that the government has recognized bitcoin as legal cash and would be awarding 500 coins to people, worth $24 million at current market values. The message was a hoax.
Modi’s Twitter account, @narendramodi, was momentarily hacked to promote bitcoin and, presumably, steal data or defraud a large number of people. The tweet had a link to what seems to be a BlogSpot website mentioning “Bitcoin giveaway,” as well as an encouragement to hurry up and receive their money. Modi and his staff were able to reclaim control of his Twitter account and get rid of the hacker’s tweet.
In a tweet on Sunday, the Indian prime minister’s office stated that the account had been “briefly infiltrated.” The problem was then reported to Twitter, where the account was quickly secured. Twitter mentioned that they have open channels of contact with the Prime Minister’s Office 24/7. The staff took the required actions to protect the hacked account as soon as the team became aware of the issue.
According to Twitter’s inquiry thus far, it appears that Modi’s account was not hacked as a result of a breach of the company’s infrastructure.
Despite the fact that the tweet came from Modi’s account, it made little political sense in light of India’s stance on bitcoin. In late November, Modi stated that all democratic nations must collaborate on cryptocurrencies to “guarantee it does not wind up in the wrong hands, which may corrupt our youth.”
A report from March mentioned that the Indian government is looking forward to criminalizing cryptocurrency trading, mining, and holding. Indian investors are now waiting for further information on the country’s future cryptocurrency bill, which has yet to be tabled in the country’s Parliament.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot going on in the country regarding regulating crypto and banning it in the country. The Modi government is set to make a call on the framework for crypto in the country. The Bill’s introduction in Parliament has been postponed due to lengthy considerations, negotiations, and the government’s effort to reform the regulatory structure.