SMW 2019: The Guardian session 1

A teenager in the United States was rescued after flashing a hand signal that was popularized on TikTok indicating domestic violence. Experts say sharing such resources on social media can help those most at risk.

The publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, has won the 2021 Ladies Tiffany Circle/Red Cross Courage to Dream Award. The award was given to the humanitarian, film producer, publisher and chairperson of The Guardian Group at the Asian World Film Festival for her philanthropic efforts and exemplifying the mission of the Red Cross. The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, brings the best of a broad selection of Asian world cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers and to strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 at the Paris Peace Forum, US billionaire Frank McCourt strongly criticised tech giants, saying social media is "undermining our democracies". The owner of French football club Olympique de Marseille told us more about his Project Liberty plan. He has invested $100 million in the initiative, which he hopes will "transform the way the internet works".

At The Guardian, we are not just a newspaper; we are a team of writers, photographers, UI and graphics designers, developers, and filmmakers working with brands to tell compelling stories.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

In India, 80 fake social media profiles were blocked across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These profiles were part of an influence operation trying to undermine the Sikh community by spreading divisive narratives online. And how do you identify a fake profile photo on social media? Web designer Victor Baissait explains more to our Observers team.

Nine months after the military coup in Myanmar, this team of investigators works together with Myanmar citizens, witnesses and journalists, who can anonymously submit photos and videos online.Myanmar Witness then verifies and archives these online claims, which can be used as potential evidence in future human rights proceedings.We tell you more on this segment of Truth or Fake.

The World Bank is backing Nigeria’s quest to get rid of fuel subsidy. The Country Director of the World Bank Shubham Chaudhuri, who led his team on a courtesy visit to The Guardian Group on Tuesday, November 30, explained why fuel subsidy is not sustainable. Chaudhuri, nevertheless, advised the Nigerian government to build consensus before its scheduled removal of the controversial subsidy policy.

"Islamic State" propaganda lured hundreds of Indonesians to fight for an extremist cause in Syria. One such Indonesian says the IS Islamic caliphate dream was flawed and that he wants to turn over a new leaf. He has joined a social media campaign to counter extremist narratives.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 at the Paris Peace Forum, US billionaire Frank McCourt strongly criticised tech giants, saying social media is "undermining our democracies". The owner of French football club Olympique de Marseille told us more about his Project Liberty plan. He has invested $100 million in the initiative, which he hopes will "transform the way the internet works".

Bullying at school, or "ijime", is a persistent problem in Japan. In 2020, there were 612,000 recorded cases at schools across the country – more than three times the number a decade ago. What begins as a joke among friends can end in insults and violence. Bullying leads to academic failure, isolation and, in some cases, suicide. Last year, 80 percent of Japanese schools reported bullying incidents. Our correspondents Louis Belin, Ryusuke Murata, Aruna Popuri and Justin McCurry report from Tokyo.

Fear mongering content became viral on social media this week, as Ukrainian civilians prepare for an imminent Russian attack.

Many posts on social media claiming to pertain to the current conflict in Ukraine are in fact videos and photos different events in other regions that happened several years ago. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.