Fake News

Man smashing Vande Bharat window sparks outrage, but what's the truth?

A video that went viral on social media shows a man breaking Vande Bharat's window glass with a hammer. Several X users demanded strict action against the person

B'deshi journo, woman booked for spreading fake news against Sonia, Rahul

An FIR has been registered by the Bengaluru Police against a Bangladeshi journalist and a woman staffer of an Indian news portal for allegedly spreading fake news and misinformation about Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, both senior Congress leaders. The case was registered at the High Grounds police station against the journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhaury and Aditi - working with the news portal, for sharing his claims on its social media handle, they said. According to the complainant Srinivas G, associated with the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the Bangladeshi journalist allegedly shared a post on his X handle linking Sonia Gandhi to a foreign spy agency. He alleged Choudhary did so with an intention to malign the public image of the Gandhi family and that the journalist had shared such a post to create enmity between two religions. Srinivas charged Choudhury with having made certain claims about Rahul Gandhi. "B

Merely stating facts not enough to overcome misinformation: Study

Refutational approaches are more effective in combating science misinformation rather than just stating facts, according to a study. Researchers found that among 152 college students exposed to misinformation, those who read an article purely carrying facts retained more misconceptions than those who read an article with a refutation. The findings are published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching. "Refutational approaches seem to work really well. While it's always best to get out in front as a teacher or communicator, students have smartphones. They're going to run into misinformation quickly. If we take this refutational approach, we're more likely to overcome misinformation," lead author Robert Danielson, a Washington State University educational psychology researcher, said. For the study, the researchers first tested what the student participants knew about putting fluoride in water. The students then read two articles: one with false information saying that ...

CM's fake audio clip being spread to derail peace process: Manipur govt

The Manipur government said a "doctored audio clip" of Chief Minister N Biren Singh is being circulated on social media platforms to incite communal violence and derail the peace process in the state. A press release issued by Manipur government's Directorate of Information and Public Relations on Monday night appealed to general public to not rely on such unfounded contents circulating in social media and news reports and also to refrain from involvement in spreading such false and fabricated information through any media. It warned that people shall be prosecuted under relevant provisions of laws if found involved in spreading such unfounded and baseless content or posting and sharing of such content. An FIR has been registered in the Cyber police station on the doctored audio clip claiming to be that of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh which is being circulated on social media platforms, the release said, adding that investigation is underway. The release said the Manipur ..

Multiple cases registered against Mahant Ramgiri after controversial remark

Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, during a recently held religious event, allegdely made derogatory remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed, which created tension between the two communities

Meta ignores pleas, kills off misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms has shut down CrowdTangle, a tool widely used by researchers, watchdog organisations and journalists to monitor social media posts, notably to track how misinformation spreads on the company's platforms. Wednesday's shutdown, which Meta announced earlier this year, has been protested by researchers and nonprofits. In May, dozens of groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, Human Rights Watch and NYU's Center for Social Media & Politics, sent a letter to the company asking that it keep the tool running through at least January so it would be available through the US presidential elections. This decision jeopardizes essential pre- and post-election oversight mechanisms and undermines Meta's transparency efforts during this critical period, and at a time when social trust and digital democracy are alarmingly fragile, the letter said. CrowdTangle, has been an ...

Only Centre can validate facts related to it, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

The Centre is best suited to determine whether a particular fact related to it is correct or wrong, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday while making the government's stand clear on the PIB's Fact Check Unit. He was replying to a supplementary query during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha related to the Supreme Court's stay on the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit. "The amendment in the IT Intermediary Rules which has been stayed by the Supreme Court, that is still under contest but the fundamental principle is, our point is, anything related to the government of India, only the government can say whether it is a correct fact or a wrong fact. That is our stand," Vaishnaw, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, said. The Supreme Court in March this year stayed the Centre's notification on setting up a fact-checking unit under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to identify fake news about the Union government. The Fact Check Unit was ...

Global audiences suspicious of AI-powered newsrooms, misinformation

Newsrooms globally are working to address a new challenge with generative artificial intelligence, as tech giants and startups like Google, OpenAI build tools that can offer summaries of information

OpenAI launches tool to detect deepfake content by its image generator

OpenAI said it would share its new deepfake detector with a small group of disinformation researchers so they could test the tool in real-world situations and help pinpoint ways it could be improved

Amid rising menace of deepfakes during elections, focus back on guardrails

Although precise figures are elusive, there is a perceived surge in electoral deepfakes

Unmasking Misinformation and Fake News: Safeguarding Elections in the Digital Age/Empowering Voters in the Digital Age

Amidst the surge of misinformation, hyperlocal news apps like Way2News are doubling down on combating fake news & working towards providing citizens with reliable information to make informed decision

Kerala Govt initiates legal action over fake narrative against state

The Kerala government on Thursday initiated legal action against an allegedly fake communal narrative on social media against the state. The General Education Department in Kerala on Thursday said that it has filed a complaint against a social media handle on X identified as 'Mr. Sinha'. The department contended that a page of a book was posted on that handle falsely claiming that its communal contents were taught in Kerala schools and that was "how commies (communists) brainwash the little kids". General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a complaint has been filed with the state police chief regarding the "dissemination of false propaganda" aimed at the Kerala Government. "This book is not published by the Kerala Govt's Education Department. Merely another endeavor to incite animosity towards the state. Those acquainted with us understand the camaraderie & unity among the people of the state. No room for hatred - precisely why communal agenda fails to take root here," ...

Meta overhauls rules on deepfakes, other altered media ahead of US polls

Meta previously announced a scheme to detect images made using other companies' generative AI tools using invisible markers built into the files, but did not give a start date at the time

Brazil SC justice to probe Musk over fake news and alleged obstruction

A crusading Brazilian Supreme Court justice included Elon Musk as a target in an ongoing investigation over the dissemination of fake news and opened a separate investigation late Sunday into the executive for alleged obstruction. In his decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted that Musk on Saturday began waging a public disinformation campaign regarding the top court's actions, and that Musk continued the following day most notably with comments that his social media company X would cease to comply with the court's orders to block certain accounts. The flagrant conduct of obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement of crime, the public threat of disobedience of court orders and future lack of cooperation from the platform are facts that disrespect the sovereignty of Brazil, de Moraes wrote. Musk will be investigated for alleged intentional criminal instrumentalisation of X as part of an investigation into a network of people known as digital militias who allegedly spread ...

Musk launches X's 'Community Notes' programme in India: Here's how it works

The 'Community Notes' programme will allow contributors to participate in fact-checking tweets in order to create a more informed digital environment

Meta partners with PTI to expand its fact checking program in India

Meta's fact-checking programme in India includes partnerships with independent fact-checking organisations to prevent the spread of misinformation on its platforms

Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back content

Meta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the US and Australia as the platform further deemphasises news and politics. The feature was shut down in the UK, France and Germany last year. Launched in 2019, the News tab curated headlines from national and international news organisations, as well as smaller, local publications. Meta says users will still be able to view links to news articles, and news organisations will still be able to post and promote their stories and websites, as any other individual or organisation can on Facebook. The change comes as Meta tries to scale back news and political content on its platforms following years of criticism about how it handles misinformation and whether it contributes to political polarisation. "This change does not impact posts from accounts people choose to follow; it impacts what the system recommends, and people can control if they want more," said Dani Lever, a Meta spokesperson. "This announcement expands on

Supreme Court stays govt notification on setting up of fact-check units

Comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines challenged the formation of FCUs to monitor social media content on government

'Zero-food children' report attempt to sensationalise fake news: WCD

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development Tuesday denounced a recently published article on "zero-food children" in India, and labelled it as a deliberate and malicious attempt to sensationalise fake news. In a statement, the ministry said the article lacked primary research and made misleading assertions. The article referred to was published recently in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open. The study claimed the prevalence of "zero-food children" in India was at 19.3 per cent and drew attention to extreme food deprivation among children. It also ranked India as having the third-highest percentage of "zero-food children", after only Guinea (21.8 per cent) and Mali (20.5 per cent). In terms of numbers, the report claimed, India has the highest number of "zero-food children" at more than six million. Zero-food children is a term used to refer to children between six and 23 months old who did not consume any milk, formula or food in the last 24 hours. However, the ...

Princess Kate apologises for confusion caused by 'manipulated family photo'

Kate, the Princess of Wales, apologised on Monday for confusion caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace a photo of her with her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the princess's health, but had the opposite effect. Five major news agencies, including The Associated Press, withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. That sent the online rumour mill, already filled with speculation over over Kate's recent surgery and recuperation, into overdrive. In a post on social media, Kate said that like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused, the post said. The palace said the photo was taken by Prince William. Issued by Kensington Palace on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in Britain, it was the first official photo of Kate since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago. Thank you for your kind