Yesterday, Parler sent an email to its top users about the news that Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, plans to buy the social media platform. The email caused more of a stir than intended because Parler carbon copied recipients instead of blind copying them, inadvertently exposing all their email addresses to one another.
The Daily Dot obtained a copy of the email chain from a source who asked to remain anonymous.
In its email to hundreds of verified “gold-badged” users, Parler wrote that it expects the acquisition to be completed by the end of the year.
But the biggest takeaway for many people on that list and privy to the email is that Parler inadvertently shared the emails of hundreds of its most valued users.
The mistake is being described as a “media operations fail.”
Parler didn’t respond to a request for comment sent early Tuesday afternoon.
The recipients include a wide variety of individuals and entities ranging from politicians and their staffers to some of the most notorious right-wing influencers on the internet—people like Matt Walsh, Tim Pool, and Laura Loomer.
Many identities in the email list are definitive, such as the multiple individuals with government email addresses. One person’s email address indicates they work for former President Donald Trump; another seems to be employed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Eric Trump’s wife, Lara Lee, also appeared in the blast. The popular anti-trans account Gays Against Groomers was also a VIP.
A former congressional aide to both Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) was on the list as well.
The list includes journalists from outlets including Epoch Times, One America News Network (OAN), and the Federalist, among others.
According to reports circulating online, after the email went out, some reacted angrily, while others took the opportunity to promote their work or sling slurs.
“The email chain was incredible. Just a bunch of nobody verified accounts pushing their own product. Racial slurs,” @TrackInflation wrote, one of the first people to post about the press release failure. “Upset individuals getting doxed. One guy was pushing racist websites he ran. Incredible group of folks here.”
The Daily Dot subsequently contacted all the recipients for comment.
Former President Donald Trump’s election denying attorney L. Lin Wood was surprised to learn that he’d been included on the email. “I have had no interest or trust in Parler since 2021 when I was banned from its platform without cause,” Wood told the Daily Dot on Tuesday.
Multiple people shrugged it off. A person who identified themself as a reporter from Townhall pointed out that such incidents are rather common in the workplace. Another noted that social media platforms have been breached in the past, though getting hacked isn’t quite the same as a platform accidentally revealing users’ contact information.
“I was surprised to see Parler expose all ‘VIPs’ in a mass email, but to be honest, I didn’t feel it was that big of a deal,” wrote John Greenewald Jr., who runs the UFO site the Black Vault. “I saw an array of reactions when everyone pressed ‘reply all’ to voice their comments, and although I can understand some concern over privacy, it appears that VIPs were only outed to other VIPs, so I am not entirely sure what the overall concern is.”
The mistake, which Parler reportedly apologized for, has soured some of the recipients.
Tim Young, a political comedian, said that this is the “final nail in the coffin” for him.
“I had lost faith in Parler a long time ago. There seems to be no active users on it and it stopped being worth my time to even try on the platform at all,” Young told the Daily Dot via email. “The release of the emails was stupid and shows a lack of awareness from a failing social media company.”
Podcaster Miriam Weaver, aka Mockarena, said that “it was a HUGE misstep on Parler’s part, and definitely raises questions about their ability to maintain privacy of their users.”
Weaver was also displeased by Parler’s reaction to people revealing its mistake.
“Their apology message yesterday evening, in which they indicated ‘sadness’ about some of the recipients going public with the mistake, was inappropriate,” Weaver wrote. “They screwed up—the end. It wasn’t a good look to criticize the recipients’ response to the mistake.”
A few people weighed in on Ye acquiring Parler. One said it’s “very good news.” Another said they expect the acquisition will lead to greater potential for advertising revenue.
Not everyone was thrilled by the news, however. One opined, “I think Parler is and always was a shit show. I feel like Ye is getting ripped off on this deal.”
Upon being contacted by the Daily Dot, a few recipients replied to the original email to urge others to keep quiet or not to speak ill of Parler.
“I will say only positive things about this email thread,” wrote one, according to a screenshot provided to the Daily Dot.
“Please, each of you get ahead of this. They are coming for all of us, not just Parler/Kanye,” they added.
