Fake News Around the World
Fake News Around the World
"We don’t completely blame Facebook. The germs are ours,
but Facebook is the wind, you know.”
Harindra Dissanayake, Sri Lankan Presidential Adviser

This page is under construction and it will take us a little while before we acheive a satisfactory balance of items. We are starting by highlighting selected reports, articles and videos dealing with the impact of social media, particularly in low-income countries and we will see how the work evolves from there.
In poor regions, Facebook has become the main source of news and information for many people, and there has been a growing number of incidents reported in which the platform has been used to tarnish or blacken a politician's reputation, or to foster racial or inter-religious hatred, sometimes with grotesque results. The image is from an article on lynchings in India triggered by malicious rumours spread on WhatsApp (which is owned by Facebook).
Page Content
Caveat & Note
Caveat:  We have done our best to find genuine material, but we clearly can't rule out the possibility that we too have been duped. If you have suspicions about any of the authenticity of any of the material selected please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you!
Please Note: Some website operators (like the BBC) don't allow you to show their videos directly, so you need to go to their website. We've provided a link. On some of the video links you will find irritating adverts, but they only last as few seconds...
1   Global
"Actual fake news is on the decline. Fake news as a political smear,
is on the increase. That's the threat at the moment."
Joseph Kahn,  New York Times (at Davos debate, featured below).

a)    Fake news versus real politics
BBC journalist Zeinab Badawi hosts panel on fake news at the Davos World Economic Forum. Contributions from Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, Joseph Kahn, managing editor of the New York Times, Anna Belkina, deputy chief editor of RT, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and son of assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto. A truly excellent and informative debate. [BBC; 26 Jan 2018; 47:06 mins]
b)    Fake Statistics
How certain can we be of the accuracy of statistics published by international agencies like the UN and the World Bank? It’s a good question. The short answer is that it depends on who provides and verifies the data... A recent article (by a human rights activist) presents a coherent argument that "dictators love development statistics" because “they’re an easily faked way to score international points" and "sing the praises of autocracy." The problem with is that "collecting verifiable data inside closed societies is nearly impossible. From Ethiopia to Kazakhstan, the data that ‘proves’ that an authoritarian regime is doing good is often produced by that very same regime.” The article goes on to provide a wealth of well-researched examples.[1]
"When used by universities and research institutions, socio-economic data sets guide our fundamental understanding of the world. When used by policy makers, philanthropists, and bankers, they steer billions of dollars of aid and investment. Often, the reason data from dictators remains unchallenged is that so many economists, financiers, diplomats, and donors rely on it to do their jobs...
But without more rigorous inquiry into the origin and quality of socio-economic data, the grim reality of dictatorship often remains obscured. Beyond that, intellectuals and world leaders might do well reflect on their worship of development numbers over human rights concerns.”
c)    How Fake News Impacts on the Charity Sector
False information is a potentially serious issue in the Charity Sector: it can undermine public trust, destroy years of careful, on-the-ground work in the community, and sometimes put the lives of development workers at risk. The International Broadcasting Trust published a report on this in Feb 2018: ‘Faking It: fake news and how it impacts on the charity sector’. Here’s an extract:

“NGOs face a two-fold problem. They have to verify information on the ground that will help them determine where it’s safe or unsafe to operate. But they are also bearing the brunt of misinformation and fake news about their ground operations. They need to monitor the information that is shared about them and, where they are the subjects of fake news, they need to recognise it and fix it. This is difficult because fake news spreads so quickly.”[2]
2   Africa
a)    Seven Fake news stories that rocked Africa
This report describes 7 fake news stories to come out of Africa: 1) Barak Obama born in Kenya; 2) White Holocaust in Zimbabwe; 3) South African HIV Tattoo Law; 4) Ebola is fake; 5) Pretoria restaurant serves dog; 6) Buhari survives poison attack; 7) Fake South African News Social Media accounts... "With no end in sight when it comes to the fake news plague, it has become more important than ever that internet users educate themselves on the tell tale signs of a fake news story to ensure they don’t fall victim."  [ITNews Africa; 9 June 2017]
b)   Is Journalism in Africa Threatened by Fake News?
"Plastic rice. Death hoaxes. ‘Marry twice or go to jail’. How can journalists preserve audience trust in an era of social media and – some say – fake news? Do social media platforms have a responsibility to curb the spread of fake news? And can government censorship can ever be the answer?" In this podcast the BBC’s Akwasi Sarpong and Didi Akinyelure debate the big questions with an audience in Malawi.   [19 Feb 2017]
c)    Fake news: How can African media deal with the problem?
At a time when fact-based reporting is increasingly being undermined by fake news, this report, by the BBC's Dickens Olewe, looks at the lessons for the media in Africa.

[16 Feb 2017]
d)    A year in fake news in Africa
"The spread of fake news in Africa has been blamed for igniting ethnic violence, sowing confusion among voters and even causing currency fluctuations. As the BBC launches major new research into fake news in Africa, we break down five false stories that made a big impact on the continent in the past 12 months." Read the piece here. The fake story featured here is Nigerian presidential candidate 'endorsed by gay rights groups'. [12 Nov 2018]
Senegal
Senegal: Sorting fact from fiction, fact checkers strives to debunk fake news
A small team of journalists are at work at Africa Check in Senegal debunking fake news and conspiracy theories. In Senegal alone there are more than 200 sites dedicated to news, making it difficult to keep track of what's posted on line...

[France24; 15 Mar 2018; 2:31 mins]
3   Asia
China
a)   China Spreads Fake News Through Western Media
"China’s ambitions to tighten up regulation of the Internet have found a second wind in old fears - terrorism and fake news... Chinese officials and business leaders speaking at the third World Internet Conference (held in Wuzhen in Nov 2016) called for more rigid cyber governance, pointing to the ability of militants to organize online and the spread of false news items during the recent U.S. election as signs cyberspace had become dangerous and unwieldy.

Ren Xianling, the vice minister of China’s top internet authority, the Cyberspace Administration of China, said that the process was akin to “installing brakes on a car before driving on the road” and "recommended using identification systems for netizens who post fake news and rumors, so they could 'reward and punish' them." [Reuters; 20 Nov 2016]
b)   China Spreads Fake News Through Western Media
"Strapped for cash, Western media turns to China for revenue, and agrees to run Communist Party propaganda." [23 Jan 2017; 9:59 mins] [Please note, this is a satirical piece. It is run by former China journalists who "seek to cover topics in a way that is both accurate in detail and correct in the larger context." In 2012 the journalists "decided to turn to comedy to make China news more engaging for people around the world.]
India
a)   Fake news and growing Islamaphobia in India
Fake news in India is increasingly being used to polarize communities along religious lines. It is manipulating public sentiments, helping politicians win elections and, more dangerously, fuelling communal violence. 

[TRT World; 27 Sept 2017; 2:41 mins]
b)  Nationalism a driving force behind fake news in India, research shows
According to BBC research "A rising tide of nationalism in India is driving ordinary citizens to spread fake news. The research found that facts were less important to some than the emotional desire to bolster national identity. Social media analysis suggested that right-wing networks are much more organised than on the left, pushing nationalistic fake stories further. There was also an overlap of fake news sources on Twitter and support networks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The findings come from extensive research in India, Kenya, and Nigeria into the way ordinary citizens engage with and spread fake news."   Watch the video [ 6:37 min 12 Nov 2018] / read article here  — please be aware that the video contains highly disturbing material.
Malasia
Malaysia recently passed the controversial Anti-Fake News Act 2018, which carries stiff punishments of up to six years in prison and a fine. The law came into force on 11 April 2018. Successful conviction requires prosecutors to show that there has been malicious intent when creating, publishing or disseminating fake news or a publication containing fake news (Section 4 Offence).
Myanmar
"A U.N. fact-finding mission has highlighted the role of social media networks, and Facebook in particular, in fueling hate speech against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, telling the U.N. Human Rights Council this week that 'incitement to violence' is 'rampant' and 'unchecked.'" [13 Mar 2018]
Sri Lanka
Disturbing article about the way Facebook is being used in Sri Lanka to spread rumours and misinformation, sometimes resulting in people getting killed. "Time and again, communal hatreds overrun the newsfeed — the primary portal for news and information for many users — unchecked as local media are displaced by Facebook and governments find themselves with little leverage over the company. Some users, energized by hate speech and misinformation, plot real-world attacks."

"Posts that tap into negative, primal emotions like anger or fear, studies have found, produce the highest engagement, and so proliferate. In the Western countries for which Facebook was designed, this leads to online arguments, angry identity politics and polarization. But in developing countries, Facebook is often perceived as synonymous with the internet and reputable sources are scarce, allowing emotionally charged rumors to run rampant. Shared among trusted friends and family members, they can become conventional wisdom. And where people do not feel they can rely on the police or courts to keep them safe, research shows, panic over a perceived threat can lead some to take matters into their own hands — to lynch." [By Amanda Taub & Max Fisher; 21 Apr 2018]
b)   Sri Lanka mulls new laws to curb hate speech and fake news on social media
Following lynchings and other serious incidents in Kandy District "Sri Lanka is considering new legislation or amendments to exiting legislation in order to criminalize the spread of hate speech or fake news through social media... while the relevant draft laws are expected to be prepared within a month."   [Read article; 13 Apr 2018]
Vietnam
Vietnam's Facebook dissidents test the limits of communist state
In Aug 2017 Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang called for unspecified tougher internet controls in the face of “hostile forces” that he said threatened not only cybersecurity but also “undermined the prestige of the leaders of the party and the state”. But taming the internet in a young, fast-growing country is not easy, especially when the companies providing the platform are global. China, in contrast, allows only local internet companies operating under strict rules. [Reuters/Wochit News; 29 Aug 2017; 1:31 mins]
"Vietnam is among Facebook’s top 10 countries, by number of members. Google’s YouTube and Twitter are popular too. Some dissidents posting on social media have been caught in a major crackdown that has followed changes in the ruling party hierarchy. At least 15 people have been arrested this year. But dozens of activists still post critical comment every day. Vietnam tried to pressure Facebook and Google to take down thousands items of anti-government content in March by leaning on advertisers, but the continued prevalence suggests limited success. Facebook has been blocked in Vietnam occasionally - sometimes at sensitive moments - but never for long. One activist told Reuters, "Freedom has a very funny rule. Once people know the limit of freedom they will never go back.”"
4   Europe
Russian disinformation and the Georgian 'lab of death'
A BBC investigation has found that "Russian media and officials presented false claims about a US-funded laboratory in neighbouring Georgia. The Russian Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and pro-Kremlin media claimed recently that untested drugs were given to Georgian citizens at the lab, resulting in a large number of deaths. The US has accused Russia of disinformation in order to distract attention away from incidents such as the Salisbury poisonings." Watch the video here [10:51 mins; 12 Nov 2018]
5   Russia
In March 2019 President Putin signed a new law that heavily fines those who spread those who spread what the state decides is fake news. Under the new law, individuals can be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,100) for circulating false information online that leads to a “mass violation of public order”; the state can also block websites that don't take down information that it says is false.
With this law, Russia can ban information that it decides is false within its own borders while spreading objective falsehoods around the globe. [The US and the EU accuse Russia of spreading misinformation, and Facebook has said many of the accounts spreading disinformation on its network come from Russia.]
Russia's Foreign Ministry has run its own “fake news-busting” website since ~2017, superimposing a seal saying “FAKE” in red letters on screenshots of disputed articles
Social activist pours bleach over men 'manspreading' in St Petersburg metro
In a staged event — designed for a domestic audience in Russia — a woman  described as a ‘social activist’ pours liquid over men on the St Petersburg metro. The 'victims' are reported to have reacted "with anger and bewilderment." A commentary on Facebook reads: “This is a pretty extreme way to combat #manspreading”. By early October the stunt had been seen 6.4 million times, with many viewers expressing outrage, often in strongly misogynistic, anti-feminist language (which appears to have been the intention behind the stunt).
Lions on the Streets to Keep People in Lockdown During Covid Pandemic
Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, a series of fake news items pertaining to the pandemic have been circulating on social media saying that President Putin had unleashed 500 lions on the streets of Russia to force people to stay at home went viral online.

The pictures were from South Africa in 2016, when the lion was seen strolling the streets in the middle of the night. The lion named Columbus was borrowed from a nearby lion park for filming purposes. [source]
6   North America
Burned to death because of a rumour on WhatsApp
Rumours of child abductors spread through WhatsApp in a small town in Mexico. The rumours were fake, but a mob burned two men to death before anyone checked.  [BBC, 12 Nov 2018] The rumours were fake, but a mob burned two men to death before anyone checked.
The photo shows a host of mobile phones raised aloft to capture the moment Ricardo and Alberto were set on fire.  The fake message read: "Please everyone be alert because a plague of child kidnappers has entered the country... It appears that these criminals are involved in organ trafficking... In the past few days, children aged four, eight and 14 have disappeared and some of these kids have been found dead with signs that their organs were removed. Their abdomens had been cut open and were empty." Read the story here.
7   South America
Being developed...
Brazil
The smartphone messaging application WhatsApp was used as a tool to target millions of Brazilians ahead of the presidential election, which took place 28 Oct 2018. This is Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party who stood against far-right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro (who won).



In May 2020 Brazil had the third highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world - around a quarter of a million according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. But experts suggest the figure could be more than three million. “I can categorically say that Brazil has become the most important epicentre for the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the world,” said Domingos Alves, a professor at the Ribeirao Preto Medical School.
Multiple Countries
"As Latin America battles the advance of Covid-19, which has now claimed more than 160,000 lives in the region, it is also fending off a tsunami of online disinformation designed to bamboozle and deceive. From the Mexican state of Chiapas to Ceará in Brazil, social networks are awash with quack cures and fantastical conspiracies that can carry an all-too-real human cost... The misinformation streaming through millions of Latin American mobile phones and computers ranges from the bizarre to the ridiculous." [Guardian Report 26 Jul 20]
[Photo: Children sit on a hill in Puente Piedra shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru]
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Notes
1    "The classic defense of dictatorship is that without the messy constraints of free elections, free press, and free protests, autocrats can quickly tear down old cities to build efficient new ones, dam rivers to provide electricity, and lift millions out of poverty."  (ibid) The near-universal lack of skepticism (of published statistics), the authors argue, "is hard to explain, especially since the problem isn’t new. In 1987, two Soviet economists published an article called Lukavaya Tsifra ('cunning numbers') which demonstrated that between 1928 and 1985, the USSR’s GDP had grown over ten times slower than reported by the regime’s Central Statistical Administration. They showed that the regime’s 'official' economic data was being falsified to whitewash human suffering. In 2014, researchers at Bucknell compared satellite images of nighttime lights over time (a proxy for economic activity) to reported GDP growth to show that dictatorships, on average, exaggerate economic growth significantly more than democratic governments."
2    Extract from 'Faking It': “Fake News in the UK based NGOs have become accustomed to criticism and misinformation at home in the right wing tabloid press. An analysis  by BuzzFeed in January 2017 found that fake news sites have struggled to take hold in the UK political sphere because we already have highly partisan news outlets. Will Tucker argues that this type of misrepresentation can often be more pernicious than the more easily identified outright fabrication found on social media. He points to the press coverage of the ‘Ethiopian Spice Girls’ story from the beginning of 2017 when government funding for a girls’ empowerment programme called Yegna was withdrawn after The Daily Mail described it as a ‘blood boiling’ waste of taxpayers’ money. Many of these newspaper stories gain an even greater audience when they are shared on social media platforms. Aid agencies are also subject to attack in the countries where they work. Kathryn Dalziel believes that the biggest threat from fake news is when it circulates in a population where we have a project. It can be extremely detrimental and, in some cases, life-threatening to patient populations and our staff if there is misinformation about our intentions for being in a particular town or region. Richard Grange, former Head of News at ActionAid, points out that it is not necessary to attack NGOs directly: we often say unpopular things, so one way for opponents to deal with this is to create an atmosphere of distrust and social media is a useful tool for this.”
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