misinformation
- Thailand News
Innocent man freed after 80 days due to mistaken identity in Thai drug case
An innocent Thai man spent 80 days in jail due to a case of mistaken identity. The 26 year old man, Anucha was released from the Special Bangkok Prison yesterday, following the intervention of Ekaphop Luangprasert and his team from the Saimai Must Survive news page along with the victim’s family. The release came after it was revealed that Anucha…
- World News
Online death rumours of influencer Lil Tay dispelled after Instagram hacking incident
A favoured influencer known for flaunting wealth in her content is alive despite widespread online rumours of her death. This misinformation resulted from the Instagram account of Lil Tay being hacked, which also reported false claims of the sudden passing of her 14 years old brother, Jason Tian. However, according to recent US reports, these reports are entirely false. US…
- Hot News
Misinformation spreads over Turkey, Syria earthquake
Misinformation is spreading over the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria with some rumours falsely stating that a tsunami occurred. According to the Straits Times, AFP fact-checkers have debunked pictures and videos that were posted online and viewed a thousand times over. The fake news included misattributed pictures and videos that included a “tsunami” and a child mourning his parents.…
- World News
Musk’s Twitter: hate speech spikes, execs sacked, Trump happy
The takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk began with an awkward stab at a humorous tweet, the sacking of some top executives, and a LOT of hate speech. The site saw an immediate sharp rise in hate speech and disinformation posts by users who believe Musk’s anti-censorship stance will usher in a Twitter free-for-all. Public feelings are mixed about the…
- Hot News
Report indicates TikTok’s search results create polarisation
A new report on TikTok’s search feature has concluded that the social media platform is producing polarising information. Climate change, politics, the war in Ukraine and Covid-19 searches were all found to produce misinformation on the platform. The study, by NewsGuard, claims that toxicity and false claims are a “significant threat” at TikTok. NewsGuard is self-described as a “journalism and…
- Hot News
Anti-Fake News Centre investigated 16,843 of 800 million posts
Fake news has become one of the most continuously pervasive problems plaguing Thailand and the rest of the world. From its creation in November of 2019 up until July 20 of this year, Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre has sifted through 800 million messages and opened 16,843 cases to investigate and verify information, misinformation, and disinformation. Of the nearly 17,000 fact…
- Thailand News
Thai government sets up “fake news centres” to combat misinformation
A government spokesman has confirmed the formation of new centres dedicated to dealing with “fake news” on social media. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the centres will be created at 3 different levels to coordinate efforts to combat the spread of misinformation. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Cabinet has already approved a draft regulation submitted by the PM’s Office. “The…
- World News
Pope Francis calls Covid-19 fake news a violation of human rights
While the church hasn’t always been on the same side as science, Pope Francis spoke out strongly against vaccine disinformation and Covid-19 fake news. In a statement Friday, he condemned any news source, including Catholic news media, that perpetuated misinformation about the pandemic, calling it a violation of human rights. In a talk with members of a group of Catholic…
- World News
Neil Young pulls music from Spotify over Joe Rogan’s misinformation
After slamming Spotify for giving Joe Rogan a platform for spreading life-threatening vaccine misinformation, classic rocker Neil Young demanded that the music streaming service remove his catalogue and they complied. The legendary musician has never shied away from expressing his opinion and wrote an open letter last week calling out Spotify for carrying Joe Rogan popular podcast which gets millions…
- World News
YouTube pulled 1 million Covid-19 misinformation videos
More than 1 million harmful videos have been removed from YouTube since February 2020 for containing Covid-19 misinformation. The video-sharing platform that is one of the most visited websites in the world, second only to its parent company Google, announced on Wednesday the total after criticism that YouTube is a major source of Covid-19 disinformation. Politicians and government leaders have…
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 team aims to correct bad information, not censor it.
A special media team the government created to try to tackle the epidemic of fake news regarding Covid-19 in Thailand has been met with suspicion they will serve a broader censorship role. The team denies the idea that the team will suppress free speech and dissent, claiming that their focus is on getting factual information disseminated about the public health…
- Politics News
Official detained after spreading rumour of planned coup to oust PM
Following a rumour that a military coup to remove PM Prayut Chan-o-cha from office was in the works, a state official has been detained, accused of spreading fake news. The Bangkok Post reports that deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen has confirmed that a man has been detained for questioning in the central province of Chachoengsao, where he has admitted to…
- Thailand News
“Fake news” banned, Thai media say order infringes on freedoms
The Thai government is cracking down on so-called “fake news.” An order was published in the Royal Gazette banning the distribution of false information that causes public fear or misunderstanding that could affect national stability. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the measure is intended to make sure false content spread online doesn’t undermine the government’s management of the pandemic. Thai media…
- Covid-19 News
Containing the misinformation virus – social media platforms race to remove ‘Plandemic’
The rush is on to remove a viral video entitled ‘Plandemic’, a conspiracy theory program which has been as viral as the actual virus it spreads false information about. The world’s leading social networks are taking down the video, edited in the style of a highly-produced documentary. But new ‘infections’ keep popping up as people with copies of the 26 minute video…
- Covid-19 News
Senior health official says dire infection forecasts “very unlikely”
Doctors from various departments, ministries and universities are making grim predictions about the Covid-19 coronavirus infection rate in Thailand, some saying that by mid-April cases in Thailand will reach 350,000, with about 7,000 fatalities. Responding to some of the most dire forecasts, a senior doctor at the Ministry of Public Health’s Disease Control Department is dismissing these scenarios as “very…
- Health
Twitter and Facebook work to block anti-vax misinformation
If you search for the word ‘vaccines’ in Twitter, the first thing you see from today is a post from the US Department of Health and Human Services pointing you to reliable health information instead of misinformation from the anti-vax adherents. Twitter says it now has a new tool in ‘search’ prompting users to head to vaccines.org, which is run…
