Europe’s fake news fightback

Social media users have been sharing images that purport to be of Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. It's claimed they show he's leading a double life. The photos, supposedly, include him failing to wear a head covering and even posing alongside a woman who also isn't wearing a headscarf or veil. But by using reverse image searches and facial recognition technology, it's easy to see the photos are all of other people. The means to spot fakes are out there, but people have to want to look.

There's a thin line between political satire and stories that are simply fake news. A recent resurfacing of a story about Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, illustrates the problem. We take a closer look.

In recent days, two former presidents have been targets of fake news. In DR Congo, a photo of Joseph Kabila has been circulating with the claim he is alongside the former head of the armed group ADF which has links with the Islamic State group. A video, meanwhile, shows a crowd of supporters of Alpha Condé gathering in Paris... although the man they are shouting in support of is not the overthrown Guinean President and it wasn't filmed in Paris at all.

In recent days, two former African presidents have been the targets of fake news. In DR Congo, a photo of Joseph Kabila has been circulating with the claim he stood alongside the former head of the rebel group ADF, which has links with the Islamic State group. Another video, meanwhile, purports to show a crowd of supporters of Alpha Condé gathering in Paris... although the man they are shouting in support of is not the ousted Guinean president and it wasn't filmed in Paris at all.

A photo showing an obscene-looking children's slide has been going viral on Twitter with the accusation it was erected at a playground in a Paris school and putting Mayor Anne Hidalgo once again in the line of fire. In reality, the tweet was a joke, but the more it was shared, the more confusion it caused.

A live broadcast video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been removed from Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. In the video, the president falsely stated that UK citizens are developing AIDS after receiving two Covid-19 vaccine doses. After the video was posted, fact-checking and governmental entities scrambled to clarify that there is no evidence to demonstrate a link between Covid-19 vaccines and the development of viruses such as HIV.

Facebook began this week by announcing more than $9 billion in quarterly profits, an increase of about 17 percent. The social media giant also announced that it now has close to three billion users. But all is not well on the Facebook front as Mark Zuckerberg’s platform has been facing a deluge of scathing reports.

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.

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".

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.

"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.