Fake News We Wish Hadn’t Gone Viral in 2018: False propaganda to fan communal sentiments

“An avalanche of misinformation was shared on social media with the intention of misleading people, spreading false propaganda and faning communal sentiments. Social media users broadly shared an image claiming it was a great preparation for Kumbh Mela by the Uttar Pradesh government. However, the image was not from Prayagraj but from the Mina Valley of Saudi Arabia ……”

In 2018, fake news defeating emerged as a big challenge for authorities. The explosion of disinformation on social media was posted with the purpose of misleading people, spreading false messages and faning racial feelings. In separate incidents fuelled by fake WhatsApp rumors of child kidnapping at least 25 people were killed by mob. After a series of incidents, the IT Ministry issued draft amendments indicating the need for social media and online platforms to monitor information originators when needed by legally approved government agencies.

Here’s our list of Rahul Gandhi’s top fake news from 2018A viral video clip making a U-turn on loan waiver pledge turned out to be false. For spreading disinformation the video was mischievously edited. The deceptive video shows Rahul saying “loan waiver is not a solution.” Moreover, Rahul said in the original video, “I have said that loan waiver is a supporting measure in my election speeches. Loan waiver is by no means the answer. The solution to the distress of the farmers is going to be a complex process. Solution will come by building infrastructure and technologies for farmers. “Social media users have widely shared an image that claims it is a great preparation for Kumbh Mela by the Uttar Pradesh government. The image, though, was not from Prayagraj but from Mina Valley in Saudi Arabia.

Some sections of the statue of unity with white markings were highlighted with a blue outline amid claims that cracks developed on the statue which was inaugurated on 31 October 2018 with much fanfare. It turned out, however, that the white lines were not cracks but points where individual blocks were joined. Controversial Canadian author posted an old video falsely alleging that Muslims waved Pakistani flags after Congress won in the Rajasthan assembly elections. The video belonged to Uttar Pradesh, and NOT to Rajasthan as Fateh falsely reported. In fact the flag in the video is also representative of the ‘Indian Union Muslim League’

Several news outlets reported Nirav and Lalit Modi files in a blaze at Mumbai Income Tax Office in June were feared gutted. The news is claimed to have been widely shared on social media sites. The Report was later rubbished by the income tax department.