Houseparty hack rumours are part of paid 'smear campaign', say developers behind app

Social video app Houseparty has rejected online rumours that downloading the application causes users' social media and other online accounts to be hacked. The app's creators instead claim that it is the victim of a "commercial smear campaign" designed to dent its surging popularity, offering a $1 million bounty to anyone who can provide proof. Houseparty has seen significant user growth over the last few weeks, as billions of people are forced to stay at home due to coronavirus containment measures. The number of app downloads rose from around 130,000 per week in February, to 2 million per week in March, according to analytics firm Apptopia. On Monday, various publications reported on a series of online posts claiming that installing Houseparty caused other apps like eBay, Instagram and Netflix to be hacked on people's devices.