A flood of fake information and real threats
This week we're bringing you misinformation news from India, Vietnam and Brazil. As COVID-19 misinformation continues to flood social media, we take a look at the latest feature rolled-out by Facebook to alert users if they liked or reacted to misinformation about the pandemic. While COVID-19 impacts wider society across different regions, we have an announcement to support individuals and organisations working to address the impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable communities in emerging economies. Have a safe weekend, friends. And remember to share this issue with others.
Here's your weekly roundup!
Facebook to tell millions of users they’ve seen‘fake news’ about coronavirus (Politico)
Have you seen misleading Facebook posts about the coronavirus pandemic? Well, the platform will now inform users if they saw online posts containing misinformation. This is Facebook's latest plan to contain the spread of rumors, half truths and lies connected to the public health crisis. Red flag notices will appear in users’ News Feeds and direct them to information provided by the World Health Organization. The feature is expected to begin in the next few weeks.
"Through this crisis, one of my top priorities is making sure that you see accurate and authoritative information across all of our apps." - Mark Zuckerberg, Founder & CEO, Facebook
Fake News, Real Arrests (Foreign Policy)
A recent tally by Agence France-Presse found that nearly 100 people had been arrested in India on charges related to spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. Though India does not have a “fake news” law, most cases have been registered under existing provisions such as the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. Rather than tackle the source of the problem, police have been carrying out rampant arrests—raising concerns over human rights and questions over the ability of local and national government to control misinformation.
On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a three-week lockdown as a means of slowing the pandemic. The order is among the strictest in the world, covering some 1.3 billion people who are not allowed to step foot outside their homes except to get food and medicine. On April 14, Modi extended the lockdown for another 19 days. With little focus on combating misinformation, erratic and unclear communication from the government allowing rumors to flourish, and rising strain on the population, the number of arrests might be expected to grow. - Bhavya Dore, Foreign Policy
Vietnam introduces 'fake news' fines for coronavirus misinformation (Reuters)
A new decree took effect in Vietnam introducing hefty fines of 10-20 million dong ($426-$853), equivalent to around three to six months’ basic salary in Vietnam, on people who use social media to share false, untruthful, distorted, or slanderous information. The new rules were not specifically drafted to deal with coronavirus social media comment and extend far beyond that topic, raising concern among human rights groups already heightened by a cybersecurity law that has been in effect since last year.
“This decree provides yet another potent weapon in the Vietnamese authorities’ arsenal of online repression.” - Tanya O’Carroll, Amnesty International
U.N. Chief Targets 'Dangerous Epidemic Of Misinformation' On Coronavirus (NPR)
"Harmful health advice and snake-oil solutions are proliferating," according to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. People are scared and are looking for advice and information. With COVID-19 now responsible for more than 120,000 deaths and nearly 2 million cases worldwide, the U.N. is creating a special communications project to combat misinformation about the virus, the secretary general said.
The world is facing "a dangerous epidemic of misinformation" about COVID-19 — and the only vaccine is to reestablish public trust. -U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres
Animal Crossing removed from sale in China amid Hong Kong protests (BBC)
The Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has been removed from sale on websites in China, after it was used by Hong Kong activists to spread pro-democracy messages. In the game, players are able to decorate their in-game environments with custom patterns, which they can then screenshot and share online. Certain players have been using the pattern creation tool to produce widely-shared images of Chinese president Xi Jinping and pro-democracy slogans. Players in mainland China had previously been able to buy foreign editions of the title from online marketplaces. Now, even local sites which had advertised imported copies have removed the listings.
“Animal Crossing is fast becoming a new way for Hong Kong protesters to fight for democracy!” - Joshua Wong, leader of the Hong Kong youth activist group Demosisto
Using Misinformation as a political weapon: COVID-19 and Bolsonaro in Brazil (HKS Misinformation Review)
With over 30,000 confirmed cases -as of April 16th- Brazil is currently the country most affected by COVID-19 in Latin America, and ranked 12th worldwide. Despite all evidence, a strong rhetoric undermining risks associated to COVID-19 has been endorsed at the highest levels of the Brazilian government, making President Jair Bolsonaro the leader of the “coronavirus-denial movement”. To support this strategy, different forms of misinformation and disinformation have been leveraged to lead a dangerous crusade against scientific and evidence-based recommendations.
Since the beginning of his term, Bolsonaro has remained an agent of information disorder, leveraging his massive audience and making recurring use of bots. He also uses what Giuliano Da Empoli calls “saturation of the public debate” with controversial and false statements. During this period, anti-scientific theories that had no relevance in Brazil (for example, flat earth theories or negationism of climate change) have acquired strong advocates on the national level and paved the way for the dangerous equivalence between opinion and science. - Julie Ricard and Juliano Medeiros, HKS Information Review
Events & Opportunities
New Microgrants for COVID-19 Media Work in Emerging Economies
Meedan
The COVID-19 microgrants are specifically aimed at groups working within the context of North Africa/West Asia, Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific region
The grants are aimed at supporting fact-checking and verification projects, local watchdog initiatives and media/digital literacy campaigns
Proposals to track the impact of the lockdown on democracies and vulnerable populations are encouraged to apply
The microgrants support the production of podcasts, videos, documentaries, written pieces, campaigns, toolkits, digital archives, and blogging
Proposals are being accepted in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese