All posts tagged: Fact Checks

Chinese Influencer Seizes on US Dispute Over Israel-Hamas War to Agitate for Communism

Chinese Influencer Seizes on US Dispute Over Israel-Hamas War to Agitate for Communism

The United States last week ramped up peace brokering efforts between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, and delivered food aid to Gaza, after the United Nations reported starvation and a rising death toll in the monthslong war. On March 3, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called the situation in Gaza “a humanitarian catastrophe” and urged an immediate cease-fire. Harris called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages and criticized Israel for “not doing enough” to ease the situation in Gaza. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,” Harris said in a speech that Reuters described as “the sharpest rebuke yet by a senior leader in the U.S. government over the conditions in the coastal enclave.” U.S. service members secure humanitarian aid, bound for airdrop over Gaza, onto a cargo aircraft at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 1, 2024. (U.S. Air Force Handout) With large pro-Palestinian marches taking to the streets across U.S. cities, some protests have taken extreme forms. …

Fake Ukrainian Assassination Attempt on Tucker Carlson Reaches Millions on X

Fake Ukrainian Assassination Attempt on Tucker Carlson Reaches Millions on X

On February 26, Simon Ateba, owner of the Today News Africa website, reported on X that Russia prevented a Ukrainian assassination attempt on American journalist Tucker Carlson while he was in Moscow to interview President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s intelligence agency dismissed the news as a “Russian ploy.” Andrey Yusov of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate told VOA’s Ukrainian Service: “This is an absolute delusion and a ploy of the Russian fascist regime.” Ateba neither cited sources nor provided details to verify the information but illustrated his post with an image of Putin and Carlson taken during their interview. At the time of this writing, Ateba’s post had received more than 14 million views and about 85,000 interactions. Ateba wrote: ” BREAKING – ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF TUCKER CARLSON: A man has just been arrested in Moscow, accused of being paid by Ukrainian intelligence to plant an explosive device on Tucker Carlson’s vehicle and assassinate the prominent American journalist while he was there to interview Putin.” That is false. Voice of America traced the origin of this “news” …

X Influencer Misleads Millions on US Domestic Spending Compared With China’s

X Influencer Misleads Millions on US Domestic Spending Compared With China’s

On February 19, Wall Street Silver, an X influencer with 1.2 million followers, posted a side-by-side video comparison showing a flooded subway labeled “USA” next to a futuristic video of a metro station marked “China.” Wall Street Silver’s post reads: “Left: Subway in New York, USA Right: Subway in Guangzhou, ChinaBut don’t worry… U.S. politicians have it under control. They will send Ukraine and Israel billions more while giving illegal migrants free health care. That should do the trick!” Nearly 85,000 users shared, liked and commented on the post, which had received more than 9.4 million views at the time of this writing. The post is misleading on many levels, and the comparison is unfair. To begin with, it is not true that the New York City subway budget directly depends on the funds the U.S. government “will send to Ukraine and Israel” or on providing free emergency health care to immigrants. Secondly, the China-labeled footage does not show the subway system in Guangzhou. The station featured in the video is Shenzhen’s Metro Line 14, …

China’s State-Sponsored Hacking Record Invalidates Claims of Innocence

China’s State-Sponsored Hacking Record Invalidates Claims of Innocence

On February 7, the government cybersecurity and intelligence agencies of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand said the Chinese government has for years been carrying out cyber operations, with state hackers “seeking to pre-position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks” against their nations’ critical infrastructure. On February 5, the Philippine government said it had warded off cyberattacks from China targeting the websites and email systems of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and various government agencies. A government spokesperson told local media that they are not attributing hacking activities to any specific state but have traced the attack to an undisclosed location in China. On February 6, Dutch intelligence agencies disclosed that Chinese state-backed cyber spies gained access to a Dutch military network in 2023. It is the first time the Netherlands has publicly attributed cyber espionage to China. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines and the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands dismissed the accusations in identically worded statements: “The Chinese government … allows no country or individual …

Russia’s Attempt to Link Il-76 and MH17: Smart Disinfo or Self-Incrimination?

Russia’s Attempt to Link Il-76 and MH17: Smart Disinfo or Self-Incrimination?

In a large-scale disinformation campaign to discredit Ukraine, Moscow is tying the recent crash of an Il-76 military transport plane over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. Russia says Ukraine shot down the Il-76 and claims 74 people were on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied it fired on the plane. Russia made public a few video clips of the crash site showing some severed body parts. Kyiv contends Moscow has yet to present evidence 65 Ukrainian POWs died in the crash. Ukraine has countered Russian accusations with a demand for an international investigation. Moscow, however, has not permitted independent and Ukrainian investigators access to the crash scene. Ukraine says Moscow is blocking an international investigation. As part of a large-scale propaganda attack that Moscow launched against Ukraine after the Il-76 downing, Russia linked the Il-76 crash to MH17, resurrecting its old, thoroughly debunked disinformation that Ukraine shot down that passenger airliner nearly a decade ago. …

East African Bloc’s Peace Efforts Don’t Violate Sudan’s Sovereignty

East African Bloc’s Peace Efforts Don’t Violate Sudan’s Sovereignty

On January 20, Sudan’s army-allied government suspended its membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, after the eight-country East African trade bloc offered to mediate a peaceful resolution in the civil war-ravaged country. Troops loyal to Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been fighting for control over Sudan with the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, troops led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The nine-month war has left at least 15,000 people dead and displaced more than 7.5 million others. IGAD was created in 1996 to promote cooperation on peacebuilding, security, agriculture, environment, and economic and social development in the region. In early January, IGAD invited the two warring Sudanese leaders to meet and negotiate a cessation of hostilities. Hemedti accepted the invitation and later attended an extraordinary meeting IGAD held on January 18 in Entebbe, Uganda. However, Burhan’s government interpreted the bloc’s peacemaking efforts as a threat to its rule and did not attend. On January 16, Ali Al-Sadiq, the Sudanese foreign minister loyal to Burhan, accused IGAD of …

This Viral TikTok Video Does Not Show Houthi’s ‘Direct Hit’ on US Navy Ship

This Viral TikTok Video Does Not Show Houthi’s ‘Direct Hit’ on US Navy Ship

TikTok, a social media platform with more than a billion active users globally, remains a champion of disinformation about the Israel-Hamas war and the resulting escalation in the Red Sea, where Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels disrupt civilian marine traffic, attacking and destroying commercial vessels. On January 17, the United States redesignated the Houthis as a major terrorist group. On January 22, the Houthis claimed to have attacked a United States military cargo ship, called the Ocean Jazz, in the Gulf of Aden. The U.S. says that claim is false. On January 23, TikToker mr09934, who has repeatedly posted alarmist content about events in the region, shared video footage showing a missile launch, which then cuts to scenes of firefighting efforts around a damaged ship. Screen shot of a video posted to TikTok on January 23, 2024, falsely claiming to show the American military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden after an alleged Houthi attack. The caption reads: “Houthi sources confirm a direct hit on the American military cargo ship ‘Ocean Jazz’ in …

Houthis Assuage China, Russia With False Claims of Safe Red Sea Passage

Houthis Assuage China, Russia With False Claims of Safe Red Sea Passage

Russia and Iran are employing their state media for propaganda that distorts the nature of Yemeni militant attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The two allied states’ disinformation narratives are designed to whitewash actions by the Houthi rebels while falsely portraying the United States as the party responsible for escalating hostilities in the Red Sea. On January 17, the United States redesignated the Houthi rebels as a major terrorist group. On January 19, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia interviewed Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi rebels’ politburo. Al-Bukhiti claimed that the Houthis “respect” civilian vessels’ right to innocent passage and would only attack ships that were Israeli or “in any way connected to Israel.” He indicated that the U.S. and United Kingdom, which have retaliated against the Houthis for their strikes, would “not be able to use one of the key trade arteries in the world.” “Concerning all other countries, including Russia and China, nothing is threatening their shipping in the region,” he said. Houthi supporters in Sanaa attend a rally in support …

Russian Sports Closely Tied With Army

Russian Sports Closely Tied With Army

Since December 2023, the North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO), a volunteer global online community that supports Ukraine and combats Russian propaganda, launched an information campaign to stop Russian participation in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, set to take place in July and August in Paris. Dubbed the “Bloody Olympics” and using the same hashtag, the NAFO campaign has reached millions online, with members and non-members posting and sharing memes and cartoons advocating banning Russia from the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee, or IOC, rejected a blanket ban, allowing instead those Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not openly express support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to compete as neutrals. Announcing the decision on December 14, 2023, the IOC said no Russian athlete tied to Russia’s army or intelligence services would be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris games. That same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that he is against Russian athletes competing without the Russian flag. Russia has yet to respond to the IOC. The NAFO campaign criticized the IOC’s decision, …

Putin Drives Russian Influence Campaign With Rigged 2020 US Election Claim

Putin Drives Russian Influence Campaign With Rigged 2020 US Election Claim

On January 18, the U.S. State Department announced an initiative to combat efforts by authoritarian governments to undermine democratic institutions. That initiative seeks to establish a “coordinated international response” to “protect free and open societies” from “information manipulation,” and safeguard elections from foreign interference. A U.S. intelligence assessment publicized in October 2023 said Russian actors were already spreading and amplifying information “to undermine public confidence in the U.S. 2020 election.” The assessment noted that “senior Russian government officials, including the Kremlin, see value in this type of influence operation and perceive it to be effective.” That starts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries underway, Putin has set a tone for the Russian influence campaign to erode faith in U.S. democracy. During a January 16 meeting in Moscow, Putin falsely claimed the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged. He further claimed that sham 2022 referendums Russia claimed to have held in occupied Ukraine were “legitimate.” Putin’s disinformation narrative focused on invalidating the legitimacy of mail-in ballots. “No one will force …