Hoaxes
I bust fake news for Snopes. Here's how I spot viral hoaxes, photoshops, 'deepfakes,' and misinformation.
With training and a careful eye, social media users can help stop the spread of false information — from convincing photoshops to video deepfakes.
I'm a fact-checker at Snopes, the internet's authority on viral hoaxes. Here's how I tell if news is fake.
My team covers stories like $1 million bounties on Vladimir Putin and "Ukrainian Army Cats." Discerning fact from fiction often takes a basic toolkit.
A South African woman's story of giving birth to 10 babies at once was a hoax, government officials say
No hospitals in the Gauteng province of South Africa have any record of the decuplets being born, government officials said.
WhatsApp says viral message forwarding is down 70% after it took steps to combat COVID-19 misinformation
Social media companies have had to scramble to combat misinformation, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.
Instagram is targeting fake coronavirus news and finally taking disinformation and hoaxes seriously
Instagram is going after misinformation related to coronavirus, and promoting reputable sources like the World Health Organization instead.
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A viral rumor about Costco toilet paper being recalled is a hoax
The rumors about Kirkland toilet paper are false. The product is not listed on the Costco website's list of recalls.
YouTube has started showing fact-check cards debunking conspiracy theories and hoaxes
The feature is only available to a select number of Indian users at the moment, but YouTube says it will eventually be rolled out globally.
Momo is actually just a creepy sculpture made by a Japanese special effects company
The sculpture "Mother Bird" was made by artist Keisuke Aisawa for the Japanese special-effects company Link Factory.
Don't fall for the hoax: Facebook isn't restricting your News Feed to 26 friends
It's a fraud. But there is a trick you can use to see different posts in your feed.
A 23-year-old allegedly called a hoax bomb threat in to easyJet to avoid seeing his parents
The student from Rennes allegedly made an anonymous call into easyJet, causing flight EZY4319 on January 18 to turn around and return to Lyon.
No, Instagram isn't restricting your posts so that only 7% of your followers see them
Another day, another viral hoax about how social networks like Instagram operate.
Bitcoin scammers are sending bomb threat emails to millions around the world, but authorities are confirming 'NO DEVICES have been found'
On Thursday, millions around the world received extortion emails demanding recipients send $20,000 in Bitcoin to a Bitcoin specific address.
7 famous ghost stories that turned out to be total BS
Some of the most famous ghost stories in history can be easily debunked.
Someone hacked a YouTube employee's Twitter account to spread misinformation about the shooting
Several people have been wounded and one woman is dead — and now hoaxes are spreading.
There's a fascinating new explanation for why fake news goes viral
A new study from researchers at Indiana University explores why fake news and hoaxes spread virally on social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr.
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10 scientific hoaxes that rocked the world
There's nothing like a good old-fashioned hoax to remind us to be a little skeptical of outrageous scientific claims.
The story behind one of the weirdest political hoaxes in American history
VIDEO: Vote for Yetta and things will get betta.
The thrilling story of a 'lost' Mayan city reveals how technology can haunt us
An astronomer says our excitement over the supposed discovery of an unexplored Mayan city exposes a fascinating flaw with modern society.
5 'facts' about Earth’s sun and moon that are absolutely false
So that's why the sky is blue...
Mark Zuckerberg has debunked the rumour he's giving his fortune away to random Facebook users
Don't copy and paste that status — the Facebook CEO isn't giving you anything.