In mid-May 2020, the following status update screenshot circulated on Facebook, urging people with iPhones (and possibly Android devices) to “turn off … exposure COVID notifications” via a series of directions in settings: It’
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FactCheck.org→ Facebook Posts Distort Facts on Trump Actions
Quick Take Facebook posts credit President Donald Trump with accomplishing a list of things that haven’t happened — claiming, for example, that he “cancelled” a proposed House bill on contact tracing and “expelled WHO.R
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates Did NOT Admit That 700,000 People Will Be Harmed Or Killed By ‘His’ Coronavirus Vaccines
Did Bill Gates admit that 700,000 people will be harmed or killed by his coronavirus vaccines? No, that's not true: The claim is misrepresentation of what the billionaire philanthropist said in a CNBC interviewed. First, COVID-19 vaccine would
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates Will NOT Personally Profit From A COVID-19 Vaccine And He Does NOT Own A Company That Will Put A Tracking Microchip In You
Will Bill Gates personally profit from a COVID-19 vaccine and does he own a company that plans to implant microchips in everyone to track them? No, that's not true: Gates has spent more than $300 million of his own fortune to encourage develop
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Adobe Cloud’ Phishing Scam Email
According to this email, which purports to be from giant software company Adobe, you have been sent files via Adobe Cloud. The post ‘Adobe Cloud’ Phishing Scam Email appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Snopes→ Is NYC’s COVID-19 Death Rate at Least 250x Higher Than Tokyo’s?
A viral tweet from software engineer John McAfee raised questions about social-distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Death Rate In NYC Is NOT 200 Times Higher Than World’s 10 Largest Cities
Is the rate of coronavirus-related deaths being reported out of New York City 200 times higher than the death rates of the world's largest 10 cities? No, that's not true: A meme making the claim uses inaccurate numbers for the total deaths in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. NOT ‘Sneakily’ Using Coronavirus As Cover to Pass Bill; Uncertain If It ‘Will Stop End-To-End Encryption, Allow Officials To See All Private Messages, Listen To All Calls’
Is the U.S. government using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to remove end-to-end encryption so officials would be able to listen to everyone's calls and see everyone's private messages? No, that does not appear to be the case: A controv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of "Sleeping Lady" Mt. Susitna Was NOT Taken From A Drone
Did a drone really capture an image of Mt. Susitna, Alaska's "Sleeping Lady"? No, that's not true: The image that is sweeping the Internet was created by a digital artist using Photoshop or other sophisticated software. Users are sharing it an
TruthOrFiction→ Imperial College London’s COVID-19 Report, Explained
On March 17 2020, an Imperial College London paper about coronavirus and COVID-19 trajectory models was referenced widely in the news and on social media, causing a considerable amount of concern and drawing global attention. Discourse about the Imper
TruthOrFiction→ Is Amazon Suspending All Non-Essential Shipments Except for Medical Supplies and and ‘High-Demand’ Products?
On March 17 2020, a number of tweets suggested a massive looming disruption in the flow of products from Amazon to customers, claiming that only medical supplies and “high-demand items” would be available for up to a month: BREAKING
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Train Was NOT Marked With "COVID-19" On Its Side
Was a tanker train spotted marked with "COVID-19" on its side, suggesting the novel coronavirus was packed inside? No, that's not true: The scientific name for the novel coronavirus was not painted on the train, nor was a train "carrying" the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Scott Toilet Paper Is NOT Made In China
Is Scott brand toilet paper made in China, as a meme on social media suggests? No, that's not true: The meme has been doctored and includes another brand's UPC barcode. The Scott Paper Company says its toilet paper is "made in the USA." The cl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Website Urging People To Stay Home Offers Sound Advice
Does a website that urges people to "stay the f--- home" offer sound advice? Yes, it does, and here is some context: A medical doctor reviewed the suggestions for Lead Stories and said the website is sharing some "common sense" recommendations
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did Not Tweet About "Dow Joans" Falling More Than 1,000 Points
Did Donald Trump tweet in 2015 that if the "Dow Joans" were to fall more than 1,000 points in a single day, the president should be shot out of a cannon? No, that's not true: The tweet-within-a-tweet was made up, and the author has admitted it
TruthOrFiction→ Was ‘World of Warcraft’ Once Hit by a Virus That Was Subsequently Studied by Researchers?
As the COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus disease) continued to spread in March 2020, social media users flashed back to a “pandemic” that unfolded nearly 20 years earlier — but this one took place entirely in the virtual world. According to
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Patents Do NOT Mean Deadly Diseases And Viruses Were Created Or Invented In A Lab
Do patents accurately suggest that deadly diseases and viruses were created or invented in a lab? No, that's not true: Just because there is a patent for something does not mean it works. Likewise, patents for diseases and viruses do not mean
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ku Klux Klan Marchers Did NOT Carry Trump-Pence Banner
Did members of the Ku Klux Klan hold a Trump-Pence banner during a march? No, that's not true: The photo has been doctored. The actual photo was taken in 2009, seven years before President Trump was elected. The claim originated from a post (a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Obama Did NOT Award Medal Of Freedom To Harvey Weinstein
Did former President Obama award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed on an American civilian, to Harvey Weinstein, the famous producer on trial for sex crimes against scores of women? No, that's not true: The image on
FactCheck.org→ Trump Repeats Falsehoods in Celebrating Acquittal
A day after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump made celebratory remarks in the White House on Feb. 6, thanking many Republican politicians and repeating several false and misleading claims, many of which we’ve c
TruthOrFiction→ Did Pete Buttigieg’s Campaign Donate $42,500 to Iowa Caucus App Developer Shadow, Inc.?
On February 4 2020, Twitter user Ariän El-Tahry tweeted a claim that Shadow, Inc., the company that built an app used to tally votes in the chaotic Iowa caucus the day before, had received donations from groups associated with only two candidate
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Instagram Will Indeed Begin To Label Some Photoshopped Images With A "False Information" Warning If Rated False
Did Instagram announce it will begin to label Photoshopped images with a "false information" warning? Yes, that's partially true, but the headline is misleading. Here is some context: Only images rated "false or partly false" by independent fa
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Device Does NOT Reduce Household’s Electric Use By Up To 89.9%
Does a device help reduce a household's overall electric use by up to 89.9%? No, that's not true: The unit is a scam. The caption stated that the device "is in the sights of energy companies who want to ban it for good," but this claim cannot
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘I Have Your Secrets’ Fake Blackmail Sextortion Scam Email
This email claims to be from a spy͏ware software developer who "has your secrets". Supposedly, the "hacker" has installed malware on your device. The post ‘I Have Your Secrets’ Fake Blackmail Sextortion Scam Email appeared first on Hoax-S
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nicole Kidman NOT Blacklisted After Calling For Americans To Support Trump
Did Nicole Kidman get blacklisted after calling for Americans to support President Trump? No, that's not true: Kidman has made comments saying that Americans should support whoever occupies the U.S. presidency, but she has not been blacklisted
TruthOrFiction→ Best Buy ‘Y2K’ Sticker
If you were using social media on December 31 2019, chances are a Best Buy “Y2K warning” sticker crossed one of your feeds — it looked something like this: Although some versions were digital renderings, others like the one above showed
Lead Stories→ Fake Faces: People Who Do Not Exist Invade Facebook To Influence 2020 Elections (Part 1)
EDITORS NOTE: Meet Carolina Chaney. Take a good look at her Facebook profile photo. Maybe she looks like your kid's math teacher or your doctor. Privacy settings block us from seeing anything about her, but we do see she is one of 11 adminis
FactCheck.org→ Trump Repeats False Ukraine Claims
President Donald Trump called into “Fox & Friends” a day after the impeachment hearings ended and repeated false statements that have been debunked by fact-checkers and, in some cases, members of his own administration. Trump repeated
TruthOrFiction→ Do Smiling Babies Have to Look Away from People Because They’re ‘Overwhelmed with Joy’?
An October 10 2019 post to Reddit’s r/wholesomememes featured an uplifting claim by way of screenshot, claiming that when babies first start “emoting,” they have to look away after a few seconds of smiling: Overwhelming jo
Politifact National→ By the numbers: How common are data breaches — and what can you do about them?
When Capital One announced in July that it had been hacked, millions of Americans joined the ranks of people who have had their personal information exposed. The data breach, which was allegedly coordinated by a Seattle software-engineer-turned-hacker,
Snopes→ Facebook Face Recognition Feature to Replace Tag Suggestions
Facebook says it is ending its practice of using face recognition software to identify users' friends in uploaded photos and automatically suggesting they "tag" them.
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking July’s Round Two Debate
Summary Another debate, and another crop of false and misleading claims. Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former Vice President Joe Biden disagreed on whether his health care plan would “cover everyone.” Biden’s website says it w
TruthOrFiction→ Was Ivanka Trump Photographed Wearing a Swastika Logo?
On July 23 2019, the Twitter account @ScenarioLENS shared the following image of Ivanka Trump, posing with a law enforcement agent in what looked like a strange, stylized swastika sweater: What the hell is she wearing?! pic.twitter.com/G3IZVFipkn &md
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO New Law Says You Must Pay Child Support If The Person You Are Dating Has Kids
Does a new law say you have to pay child support if the person you are dating has kids? No, that's not true: a supposedly satirical website seems to have stolen and repurposed an article from somewhere else and presented it as real news. Howe
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Entertainment Lawyer Did NOT Say Heather O’Rourke Was Killed By Hollywood Pedophile Ring
Did an entertainment lawyer say that Poltergeist child star Heather O'Rourke was killed by a Hollywood pedophile ring? No, that's not true: It is a false claim based on a "blind item" entry on a gossip site that acknowledges its content could
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Julia Roberts Did NOT Say ‘Michelle Obama Isn’t Fit To Clean Melania’s Toilet’
Did Julia Roberts say Michelle Obama isn't fit to clean Melania Trump's toilet'? No, that's not true: the story was put out by a site once notorious for taking existing news reports and spicing them up with some invented facts to get a more sp
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Campaign Kickoff Claims
At a rally in Orlando on June 18, President Donald Trump officially launched his reelection campaign. Trump boasted that under his leadership, the country is “thriving, prospering and booming,” and he asked voters for four more years to
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Police Investigating Death Of Former Senator Who Did NOT Believe She Was Closing In On Child Trafficking Ring
Are police investigating the death of a former Arkansas state senator who believed she was closing in on a child trafficking ring? No, that's not true: Linda Collins, who lost her state senate post to another Republican last year, was shot to
Lead Stories→ That Fake ‘Drunk Pelosi’ Video Was A Dud: How Lead Stories And Facebook Defused A Viral Bomb
A viral video that was digitally altered to make it appear that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was slurring her words and drunk has raised questions about what social platforms can do to limit fake content's spread. Since Lead Stories was the
FactCheck.org→ Manipulated Pelosi Video, Take 2
Quick Take Another manipulated video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is circulating on Facebook. She did not slur her words during a speaking engagement at the Commonwealth Club of California. Full Story A week after a manipulated video of House Speake