Weapons for Ukraine not used in French riots
No evidence of ‘baby factories’ in Ukraine
Kramatorsk missile not Ukrainian
Zelensky has not cancelled elections
False and misleading posts about the Ukraine conflict continue to go viral on major social media platforms, as Russia’s invasion of the country extends beyond 500 days. Some of the most widely shared examples can be found on Twitter, posted by subscribers with a blue tick, who pay for their content to be promoted to other users.
Under Musk, Twitter has become an amplifier of authoritarian and right-wing misinfo, and a global threat.
It’s not just Twitter either, the Meta family (facebook, instagram, whatsapp) is a similar mess. Owners & controllers of for-profit social media corporates have become unelected & unaccountable emperors, with their decisions and policies impacting all our lives. And they are themselves controlled by their profit motive and/or ideology.
Eg: In India, state supported Hindu supremacists have been using Twitter Blue accounts, whatsapp, and verified facebook accounts to spread propaganda, misinfo, and disinfo; including among non-resident Indians. People have been killed by lynching due to the lies spread on SM. And because the authoritarian government benefits, it has instituted policies requiring SM platforms to surveil and control users. SM co.s play along as it suits them. The laws that the SM co.s follow in EU & USA, don’t apply in India so there’s way to stop their toxic messaging.
