COVID-19 superspreaders & platforms popular with the right-wing in India & Brazil
What happens when technology companies toughen measures against disinformation? In India and Brazil, nationalistic politicians and channels aligned with the radical right move to other platforms. In this issue of The Checklist, we bring updates on alternative platforms being used by nationalists in India and Brazil. You can also read more about an investigation by the Associated Press News along with the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab identifies people behind some of the most viral COVID-19 misinformation. While protests intensify in Myanmar, we take a look at what its Southeast Asian neighbours have to say about the current political situation in the country.
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The superspreaders behind top COVID-19 conspiracy theories (AP News)
The Associated Press collaborated with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab on a nine-month investigation to identify the people and organizations behind some of the most viral misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus. Legitimate questions about the virus created perfect conditions for conspiracy theories. In the absence of knowledge, guesswork and propaganda flourished.
"College professors with no evidence or training in virology were touted as experts. Anonymous social media users posed as high-level intelligence officials. And from China to Iran to Russia to the United States, governments amplified claims for their own motives."
How Koo became India’s Hindu nationalist–approved Twitter alternative (Rest of World)
In a backlash to the ongoing farmer's protest gaining international support on Twitter and the company's refusal to suspend more accounts as per the Indian government's request, the country's Hindu nationalistic politicians along with their followers flocked to Koo, a local free-speech platform. Touted as India's Twitter, Koo had won the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat (a self-sufficient India) social media challenge six months back.
"Absolutely, we should have our own atmanirbhar (self-sufficient) platforms. We should also have international platforms, so we are connected to the international world. It’s not Koo vs Twitter. It’s Koo for deeper-connected India, for unifying India. Twitter will exist; Twitter will connect us to the world." — Aprameya Radhakrishna, Koo's founder
Telegram, the new refuge of the extreme right in Brazil (El Pais)
In Brazil, channels aligned with the radical right - the type that spreads lies about the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for military intervention or calls for the arrest of Supreme Court judges - continue to run their business normally. With the toughening of measures by large technology companies against disinformation, hate speech and the organization of violent acts, Telegram has become a haven (even if still modest compared to major social networks or WhatsApp) for figures who were or run the risk of being sanctioned on other platforms.
Telegram also favored the discomfort caused by an update to WhatsApp privacy terms , which opened up the existing policy of sharing user data with other companies belonging to Facebook, which displeased many people. No wonder Telegram was the most downloaded application in the world in January, according to its founder and CEO, Russian Pavel Durov.
"They are making an effort to bring the audience who already have Twitter, Facebook and even in WhatsApp for the Telegram." — Center researcher David Nemer, a professor at the University of Virginia, US, who studies consumer misinformation messaging applications and has accompanied the migration to Telegram.
Indonesian plan calls for Southeast Asia to hold Myanmar junta to election pledge (Reuters)
Indonesia is pushing Southeast Asian neighbours to agree on an action plan over Myanmar’s coup that would keep the junta to its promise of holding elections, with monitors to ensure they are fair and inclusive. The proposal from the biggest regional nation falls short of the public demands of protesters and some Western countries for the immediate release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the recognition of the Nov. 8 ballot her party won in a landslide.
Protesters have scorned the junta’s promise of a new election, saying it should recognise the one held last year. The army staged the coup after the electoral commission rejected its accusations of fraud in the November poll.
The two senior officials, and a regional diplomat, told Reuters that some ASEAN countries and Indo-Pacific nations were involved in “back channel” talks with some of the junta, urging compromise and no repeat of past bloody crackdowns on dissent. “The message we want to send to Myanmar is you are facing a different situation to the past,” the senior official said.
Meedan Updates
Elections in 2021: How Our Indian and African Partners Combat Misinformation
Election fact-checking comes with its own complexities. In India, the diversity of languages, cultural contexts and subnational political landscapes add to the challenges of monitoring and addressing misinformation, while Africa’s varied political landscapes have led to mixed results for fact-checkers, ranging from favourable to completely chaotic.
The increasing visibility of fact-checking, as well as misleading statements put out to influence voters, are likely to further worsen the already dire situation, and with five elections lined up in India and a host of elections in Africa scheduled for 2021, our partners have already devised their plans to tackle misinformation.