On May 8th, Near Protocol’s official Twitter account (@nearprotocol) posted several tweets that left the crypto community puzzled. The tweets, which were written in a gothic font, asked followers to “reclaim your sovereignty.”
In addition to the tweets, the account’s name and description were also changed. The account name was changed to “NEAR,” and the description was changed to “Darkness is coming.”
Near Protocol did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, some crypto community members speculated that the account may have been hacked.
The incident comes at a time when Near Protocol is facing a number of challenges. In January, the company laid off 40% of its staff. The company also recently announced that it would be reducing its footprint as the ecosystem inches forward toward decentralization.
Timeline of Events:
– **6:18 pm UTC, May 8:** Near Protocol’s X account posted a 27-second long Morse code video without providing any context.
– **8:18 pm UTC, May 8:** Near’s X account posted four consecutive cryptic tweets using a difficult-to-read gothic font, widely used by heavy metal bands.
Possible Explanations:
– **Hacking:** Some crypto community members speculated that the account may have been hacked.
– **Marketing stunt:** A handful of the protocol’s supporters see the tweets as a sign of something bigger coming to the ecosystem.
## Similar Incidents:
– **January 2023:** The X account of crypto data aggregator CoinGecko was compromised and used to run a phishing scam.