A peek into the online world of Gaurav Pradhan – a compilation of misinformation
A resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, "Dr" Gaurav Pradhan describes himself as a data scientist, advisor, digital strategist and professional speaker. He has his own blog where he has delved into myriad subjects - from blockchain technology, Indian...
Inside the secret world of Facebook groups offering fake Aadhaar cards
"Fake Aadhaar available...Ib for deal," reads one of the posts on a Facebook group "Help for Friends - Advertising Deals" or as its over 7,000 members call it "HFF".HFF is a secret group and does not come up on Facebook search results. You need ...
Decoded: The business of Facebook pages – selling Modi, God, patriotism and more
Those of us even sparsely active on social media must have at some point of scrolling through an ocean of posts come across images of Indian army soldiers, with the caption - “share if you are a true Indian”. The not-so-subtle nudge at our patriotism...
July round-up: Misinformation weaponised to attack minorities
The month of August saw the full range of misinformation and disinformation at play- fake quotations ascribed to public figures, photoshopped images targeting political leaders, misinformation with the objective of inciting communal sentiments and bl...
Prashant Patel Umrao and his countless trysts with misinformation
"Avoid committing the mistake of posting fake content online to avoid losing credibility," were the words of advice of BJP chief Amit Shah to his party's "social media warriors" on June 21 at BJP social media meet in Delhi. Among the many who attende...
Hindu khatre mein hai? How the fake news ecosystem targets minorities to create a fear psychosis
Social media has become a convenient medium for purveyors of misinformation. Fake news has grown manifold, a large proportion of which is dominated by information which is communal in nature and inciteful in tone, seeking to divide on religious lines...
A roundup of rumour-mongering on the ‘Tanvi Seth passport issue’
On June 20, Tanvi Seth, in a series of tweets, informed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that she and her husband were allegedly humiliated by Lucknow passport officer Vikas Mishra for being an interfaith couple. Mishra was subsequently transf...
Postcard ‘News’ – A mega factory of fake news that continues to spew venom
Postcard News, synonymous with misinformation in the garb of news, continues to post with impunity content which is communal in nature, provocative in tone and mostly untrue. In 2017, Alt News had chronicled numerous instances of fake news posted on ...
June round-up: Rampant child abduction rumours result in mob-lynching incidents across country
June turned out to be ominous insofar as the sinister impact of misinformation is concerned. Rumours of child abductors abounded in various states, shared via WhatsApp. The suspicion, mistrust and fear created by these messages which mostly circulate...
Facebook page ‘BJP All India’: Serial purveyor of fake news
Hours after former president Pranab Mukherjee addressed RSS cadres at an event in Nagpur, a photoshopped image of him wearing the black RSS cap, with his arm lifted, began circulating on social media. Among the pages that shared the morphed photograp...
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