WebQoof Recap: From Amitabh’s Viral Clip to Fake Sara Pilot Tweet

Here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

From fake ‘Chinese’ handles posting misinformation on Twitter to IANS falling for a fake Twitter handle impersonating Sara Pilot, here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week:

1. How ‘Chinese’ Social Media Warriors Are Waging a War Against India

After the violent stand-off between Indian and the Chinese Troops in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Twitter has emerged as a battlefront with multiple handles impersonating Chinese nationals being used to spread misinformation against India.

The Quint debunked one such profile (@CNPakww) which goes by the username - 美麗的男 何金濤 (Mandarin). We observed several red flags and during the course of our analysis identified multiple instances where the handle in question deliberately peddled misinformation on issues ranging from situation along the India-China border, India’s relations with other South Asian countries and even on internal security-related matters.

An archived version of the profile can be accessed here.(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

The amount of fake news being generated from just this one Twitter handle presented a pertinent question on the scale of misinformation being propagated on social media on not just the situation along the India-China border but also on India’s internal security-related issues.

To understand this, we reached out to Nandakishore Harikumar, the founder of Technisanct – a cybersecurity firm based out of Kochi. He told us that his firm has been monitoring such activities for quite some time and using tools like Trendsmap, Twint and Social Bearing, they’ve found that most of these fake profiles get huge traction from Pakistan.

We also reached out to Twitter to understand how effective have Twitter’s policies been in identifying and countering State-sponsored misinformation. A spokesperson from the company told us that it is Twitter’s top priority to keep people safe from any kind of “coordinated activity” on the platform.

You can read the story here.

2. Viral Video of Amitabh Bachchan Thanking Nanavati Medics is Old

A video of actor Amitabh Bachchan thanking the doctors, nurses and staff members of Nanavati Hospital is being widely shared on social media and by several news organisations with a claim that it is from his recent visit to the hospital after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, 11 July.

In the video, Bachchan can be seen thanking the medics for their relentless battle against the virus. He says, “I thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Nanavati Hospital for the tremendous work that they are doing in these trying times.”

However, we found that the claim is false and the video is from April and was recorded by the actor during the lockdown to thank the medical fraternity for braving the virus and helping people.

Read the story here.

3. IANS Falls for Sara Pilot’s Fake Twitter Account Attacking Gehlot

A tweet from a fake Twitter account of Sara Pilot, wife of Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, is going viral on social media. The tweet seems to attack Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, amid the ongoing political turmoil in the state.

News organisation IANS fell for the tweet and published a news report, leading the tweet to be amplified, but in reality, Sara has not tweeted any such thing.

An archived version of this tweet can be seen here.(Photo: Screenshot/Twitter)

In the tweet, Sara appears to be attacking Gehlot without taking his name, saying that even “big magicians” will start sweating when they (referring to Sachin) turn to Delhi.

In reality, Sara Pilot is not on Twitter and a fake account in her name has gone viral with a tweet about the current political scenario in Rajasthan.

You can read the story here.

4. Kerala Has Not Ruled Non-Hindus Can Rule Temples, Post is Fake

A viral image claimed that the Kerala government has ordered that temples can now be controlled by non-Hindus such as Muslims and Christians as well.

The claim mentioned in the image reads: “केरल सर्कार ने बनाया कानून हिन्दू मंदिरों को अब मुसलमान व ईसाई भी करेंगे कण्ट्रोल, मंदिर का अध्यक्ष ईसाई या मुसलमान भी हो सकेगा”

(Translated: Kerala government has made a new law that Muslims and Christians can now control Hindu temples, head of the temple can now be a Christian or Muslim.)

(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)

However, Chairman of Devaswom Recruitment Board Rajagopalan Nair told The Quint that there is no such rule. The law is that all the employees including the management must be from Hindu religion, he added.

You can read the story here.

5. WHO Hasn’t Approved Cure for COVID Involving Pepper, Honey, Ginger

A viral message falsely claiming that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved a mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice as a cure for the novel coronavirus is doing the rounds on social media.

But there is no truth to this message and while honey and ginger may have soothing effects, there is no evidence that they can cure COVID-19.

Many such messages with claims about natural home remedies having the ability to cure COVID-19 have been doing the rounds since the pandemic broke. However, as before, none of these have been proved to be effective in curing COVID-19. Further, there is still no approved cure for the novel coronavirus and the world is still waiting for vaccines to be developed and approved.

You can read the story here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)