As political disinformation about the 2020 election continued into December 2020, its purveyors turned to Executive Order 13848 — more precisely, claims that EO 13848 existed to ensure that U.S. President Donald Trump would remain in power for a
Search Results (3226) for: security
FactCheck.org→ Cherry-Picked Pay-Raise Attacks on Perdue
A Democratic super PAC cherry-picks from huge appropriations bills that Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue opposed in order to accuse him of trying to increase his own pay while rejecting pay increases for the military. In a TV ad from American Bridg
Full Fact→ The challenges of online fact checking: how technology can (and can’t) help
Full Fact has carried out research into the main challenges faced by fact checkers around the world when finding and checking claims which appear in online places. The resulting report is based on interviews with nineteen fact checkers across the globe
Truth or Fiction?→ Dominion Voting Systems and the SolarWinds Vulnerability, Explained
On December 15 2020, a popular post was shared to the far-right forum TheDonald.win. Its topic was included in its title, “Dominion CEO states in MI hearing that Dominion has never used Solarwinds. Pro tip: If you’re gonna remove the Solarwin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cyber Analyst Did NOT Prove Dominion Software Used In Antrim County, Michigan Was Designed For Fraud
Did a computer analyst prove voting software used in Antrim County, Michigan was designed with inherent errors to create systemic fraud? No, that's not true: The expert making the claims has not been put under oath nor cross-examined, pro
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan State Police Block ‘Republican Electors’ From Entering the Courthouse?
As the U.S. Electoral College made it official — again — that outgoing United States President Donald Trump had lost his bid for re-election on December 14 2020, footage posted online showed an attempt to overturn the results with a group
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe Biden Did NOT Say ‘My Son Has Not Made Money In China’ In The First Presidential Debate
Did Joe Biden say "My son has not made money in China" in the first presidential debate? No, that's not true: During the September 29, 2020 debate, Biden addressed the controversy over his son landing overseas work at the time that Biden
Snopes→ US Agencies Hacked in Monthslong Global Cyberspying Campaign
The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm warned of an "unacceptable risk" to the executive branch from a feared large-scale penetration of U.S. government agencies that could date back to mid-2020 or earlier.
FactCheck.org→ Nine Election Fraud Claims, None Credible
A list of bogus election fraud claims, cobbled together from dubious websites and failed lawsuits aimed at overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, has spread widely online. It appeared in a recent story posted in a p
Washington Post→ Cotton’s claim that Mayorkas was ‘guilty of selling green cards to Chinese nationals’
Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s nominee for homeland security secretary, was the subject of a critical inspector general’s report. But Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) spins the facts beyond recognition.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Schumer and Pelosi ‘Shoot Down’ a COVID Relief Bill and $600 Checks for Americans?
As the global COVID-19 pandemic closed in on its first year, calls in the United States for second stimulus checks mounted in December 2020, the dubious right-wing blog DailyWire.com published an item (“Schumer, Pelosi Shoot Down Trump Covid Rel
AFP Fact Check→ Georgia video of ballots in suitcases does not show election fraud
Social media posts claim security footage shows election workers in the US state of Georgia committing fraud by counting ballots from suitcases. This is false; the Georgia investigator who conducted a probe into the video, the state’s voting system i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: DIY Vote Analysis Does NOT Prove Arizona Votes Were ‘Eaten From Mr. Trump And Handed Over To Mr. Biden’
Did a Massachusetts engineer prove election software took Maricopa County, Arizona, votes from Donald Trump to give them to Joe Biden? No, that's not true. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on December 4, 2020, rejected Trump's chall
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Of 23,000 ‘Fraudulent’ Ballots For Biden Identified In Georgia
Were 23,000 "fraudulent" ballots for Joe Biden identified in Georgia? No, there's no evidence that's true. An article making that claim cites as its source a video on YouTube, which relies on unofficial results reported in real time. Stat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sidney Powell Election Fraud Witness Navid Keshavarz-Nia Cites Debunked Election Hoaxes
Is a cybersecurity expert's testimony about election fraud based on verified incidents? No, the major examples Navid Keshavarz-Nia cites in a written legal declaration lack proof or direct evidence and are based on his speculation. The al
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: GOP Observers Did NOT Swear In Affidavits They Were Told To Leave Fulton County, Georgia, Vote Count Center On Election Night
Did Republican campaign staffers assigned to observe at the Fulton County, Georgia, vote counting center on election night swear under oath in affidavits that they were told to leave before the ballot counting ended on election night? No,
Snopes→ Judge: Trump Administration Must Take New DACA Applications
The Trump administration must accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects some young immigrants from deportation, a federal judge ruled, in vacating a memo from the acting Homeland Security secretary tha
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part I: Firehosing
This is part of an ongoing series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. Any anthropologist can tell you that human lives are created, bounded, and defined by stories: the stories we tell ourselv
The Dispatch→ Did a Dominion Technician Manipulate Voting Data in Gwinnett County?
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Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video From Georgia Does NOT Show Suitcases Filled With Ballots Suspiciously Pulled From Under A Table; Poll Watchers Were NOT Told To Leave
Does security camera video show a Fulton County, Georgia, election supervisor suspiciously pulling suitcases filled with ballots from under a table after telling poll workers to leave the room? And did that election official continue to i
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Never Forget: Nancy Pelosi Rejected Trump’s Offer for Direct Stimulus Checks Two Months Ago’
On December 3 2020, a tweet by @thebradfordfile was shared to TheDonald.win, accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having “rejected Trump’s offer for direct stimulus checks two months ago,” which placed the purported action in Septe
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s ‘Most Important’ Speech Was Mostly False
In what he billed as perhaps “the most important speech I’ve ever made,” President Donald Trump continued his attempt to deceive the American public into believing the election was “rigged.” Trump has presented no evidence for
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sharing This Photo Of A Baby Does NOT Raise Money For Medical Care
Will sharing this picture on social media of a baby who was born blind help raise the $200,000 needed for treatment that could help the child see? No, that's not true: This post is a classic example of "share-baiting," and it has been cir
Snopes→ Phishing Ploy Targets COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Effort
The precision targeting and careful efforts to leave no tracks bore "the potential hallmarks of nation-state tradecraft,” said IBM security researchers.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nine-Point List Of Election ‘Peculiarities’ Relies On Falsehoods And Unproven Theories
Does a nine-point list of election "peculiarities" contain only true statements? No, it doesn't: The list relies on falsehoods and unproven theories. Chief among them are claims that swing states stopped counting ballots on election night
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Here’s a Postage Stamp to Help You Out Financially’
A tenant advocacy group’s gesture toward members in Bellingham, Washington was distributed online in late November 2020 but misconstrued as a disingenuous bit of “kindness” by an unscrupulous landlord. Photographs of the envelope, wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Special Forces Did Not Raid a ‘CIA Server Farm’ in Frankfurt to Seize Dominion Servers
In November and December 2020, following Donald Trump’s resounding loss by millions of votes in the presidential election to Joe Biden, rumors spread by those trying to cope with their loss centered around persistent and increasingly ludicrous c
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘My Wife Has Cancer’ Reddit Comment Spreads Virally, Prompts Discussion of American Healthcare System
A November 30 2020 post to Reddit’s r/awfuleverything spread virally across platforms, prompting discussions all over social media about u/binkybrain’s original comment and the cost of cancer care in the United States: Poor guy
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Dominion Voting Systems Presentation Covers "Adjudication" Of Improperly Marked Ballots, NOT How To Switch Votes
Did a Dominion Voting Systems official admit in 2017 that its election equipment allows for votes to be switched? No, that is not true. Dominion has strongly denied that votes can be switched in its systems. No evidence is presented -- in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Former President Barack Obama Was NOT Arrested For Espionage — It’s A Made-Up Story
Was former President Barack Obama arrested for espionage? No, that's not true: A website completely made up the claim that Obama, the 44th president of the United States, was arrested on November 28, 2020. The article used direct quotes f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Contains Falsehoods And Unproven Claims About Purported Voter Fraud In Arizona
Is a video discussing purported voter fraud in Arizona factual? No, it's not: The video contains falsehoods and unproven claims. Specifically, 35,000 votes were not added to Democratic candidates, as Lead Stories has previously reported,
FactCheck.org→ Trump Repeats Baseless, False Claims About the Election
In his first interview since Election Day, President Donald Trump recapped baseless, false and misleading claims he has made before of a “rigged” election. Trump spoke by phone with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Nov. 29. In the intervi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Army’s Special Forces Did NOT Seize A CIA Server Farm In Frankfurt, Germany, Resulting In Deaths Of U.S. Soldiers
Did the U.S. Army's Special Forces seize a CIA server farm in Frankfurt, Germany, resulting in deaths of U.S. soldiers? No, that's not true: A U.S. Army spokesperson told Lead Stories the claim is false. Lead Stories has previously debunk
Snopes→ Iran Says Israel Killed Military Nuclear Scientist Remotely
A top Iranian security official has accused Israel of using “electronic devices” to remotely kill a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic's military nuclear program.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dominion Executive Eric Coomer Is NOT Missing And The Company Has Not Closed Its Headquarters
Is Dominion Voting Systems vice president Eric Coomer missing and has the company closed its headquarters? No, that's not true: A video repeats unfounded claims Lead Stories has previously debunked: that Dominion Voting Systems has shutte
Snopes→ Trump Pardons Flynn, Taking Direct Aim at Russia Probe
President Donald Trump has pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, taking direct aim in the final days of his administration at a Russia investigation that he has long insisted was motivated by political bias.
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Conspiracy Theory Targets Another Election Technology Company
Quick Take An unfounded conspiracy theory of widespread election fraud claims that an election technology company called Smartmatic switched votes in the 2020 election. But Smartmatic provided ballot-marking machines to only one U.S. county in the elec
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Parler Was Hacked, NO Sensitive Information Found Online
Was the Parler social network hacked? No, there is no evidence for that. The original news came from a now deleted tweet by a conceptual artist known for high-tech art projects. A configuration file that was supposedly part of the hack ha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dominion Was NOT ‘Caught Red Handed Stealing Votes on Live TV’
Was Dominion Voting Systems "caught red handed stealing votes on live TV"? No, that's not true: A video claiming to show an unexplained vote change taking votes away from Donald Trump and giving the exact same number to Joe Biden on elect
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Only 3 Percent of Trump Voters Believe Joe Biden is the ‘Legitimate Winner’ of the 2020 Election?
On November 24 2020, Breitbart.com published an article headlined, “Nolte: Only 3% of Trump Voters Believe Joe Biden Is Legitimate Winner,” which began: We all need to keep in mind that, except for a handful of pollsters, polling is irretr