March 2017 Round-up
Well March has been a very busy month indeed with plenty of online hoaxes going viral over the last few days, including fake health warnings, plenty of Easter nonsense (yawn) and strange figures in the sky.
So let’s get started.
Strange figure in the skies over Zambia?
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a photoshopped image of a kite? Our more sceptical readers would have probably guessed the latter, and they would have been right. This photoshopped image had plenty spooked, and it was even covered by some media outlets. But it was just a digital prank.
The Machupo virus spreading in paracetomols?
Fake warnings that the Machupo virus was spreading in P/500 paracetamol tablets began alarming many social media users during the first week of March. The only problem is that there was not one ounce of truth in the claims. Other than that, there was little that could be said about this bizarre claim, other than the full article below.
Is the Machupo Virus spreading in P/500 Paracetamol tablets? FACT CHECK
Cargo containers in Savannah containing women?
Another equally bizarre rumour spread like wildfire on Facebook claiming a cargo load of black women was spotted in Georgia, yet it was being ignored by the media. This claim spread so prolifically that the SWAHT (Savannah Working Against Human Trafficking) and Department of Homeland Security both had to refute the claims when asked about it by … The media. Full article below.
Rumour claims cargo container containing women spotted in Savannah
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The return of the predictable Easter nonsense
May we start by wishing the social media teams belonging to both Tesco and Cadbury a really, really happy Easter, as they now start to deal with the inevitable surge of angry social media comments accusing the companies of banning Easter or “pandering” to Muslims by producing halal foods. Incidentally, such comments are made by social media users with no idea what halal actually means or that the majority of Easter packaging does indeed still mention Easter. It’s the same every year, and no doubt the social media teams can’t wait until Easter it done with. Of course in 11 months’ time it will start all over again.
Check out these articles for the truth about these silly, annual accusations.
The Australia isn’t real hoax
So a girl from Sweden this month claimed to the social media world that Australia wasn’t real, rather an elaborate hoax to cover-up the mass slaughter of criminals shipped out from the UK. Needless to say, this didn’t sit well with Australians. However our Swedish conspiracy theorist wasn’t really a conspiracy theorist, rather a prankster. She wasn’t serious, but many people took her joke seriously.
Rude Democrats?
Claims that Democratic politicians refused to stand for a widow of a deceased soldier killed in Yemen during Trump’s first address to Congress were popular at the start of March. The claims were fake as videos clearly showed Democratic politicians standing – though they did return to their seats quicker than their Republican counterparts. Article below.
Did Democrats refuse to stand for Gold Star widow? FACT CHECK
Wrong man identified of Westminster attacks
The scary power of social media was in full force on the day after the Westminster attack as Channel 4 news triggered a tidal wave of accusations after accusing the wrong person of carrying out the attack. This was picked up by other media outlets and resulted in some embarrassing apologies.
Internet and media fuel rumours as to identity of Westminster attacker
In other news…
Upgrade Vista if you’re still inexplicably running that bloating rubbish of an operating system, as extended support ends in April.
Man charged with assault with a deadly weapon… by sending a GIF image? It’s true. Full story here.
Looking for a new job? Prepare your Facebook profile!
And finally… we’re always being asked why certain users cannot block certain accounts on Facebook. Here is why.
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