Claim OwnershipTruth or Fake
Subscribed: 13Played: 86
Subscribe
© France Médias Monde
Description
Truth or Fake is a fact-checking rendez-vous in association with the FRANCE 24 Observers. Our content focuses on false images circulating online and how to identify them. Monday to Thursday at 8:45pm and 10:20pm Paris time.
706 Episodes
Reverse
Social media users falsely claimed that emails from the latest Epstein file dump prove that the disgraced sex offender was in fact Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin whose real identity remains a mystery to this day. Satoshi Nakamoto is indeed mentioned in the documents, but this particular viral email is doctored. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.
The latest Jeffrey Epstein file dump by the US Department of Justice saw a number of high-profile individuals named, one of them being Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The documents allege new details of his ties to the late sex offender, including claims Gates hid a sexually transmitted disease from his wife after contact with "Russian girls". Gates has denounced the emails as false and says he "regrets" knowing Epstein. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know in Truth or Fake.
The Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit raided the French offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X on Tuesday morning, as part of a probe into alleged offences including political interference, unlawful data extraction and sexualised deepfakes of women and children. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know so far, in this edition of Truth or Fake.
The fallout continues after the US Department of Justice released over 3 million documents pertaining to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's mother, film director Mira Nair, was named in an email, in reference to attending a film party. But AI-generated images by a parody account have triggered viral false claims Mamdani has devious political connections or is Epstein's illegitimate son. Vedika Bahl debunks them in Truth or Fake.
A Buddhist monk influencer has amassed millions of followers on social media, sharing spiritual guidance videos and selling e-books on healing. The catch is that he's AI-generated. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
TikTok recently changed hands in the US, giving a consortium of mainly American investors – run by Trump ally Larry Ellison – control of its US operations. Since then, American TikTok users claim that they're unable to write the word "Epstein" in messages on the app, and accuse TikTok of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, as well as censoring videos about ICE raids in Minneapolis. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know in Truth or Fake.
FBI Director Kash Patel has been accused of not knowing the law, after falsely claiming protesters cannot carry firearms to demonstrations following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. His statement outraged gun rights groups across the US – including the NRA – who argue it’s a Second Amendment right to bear arms, and Pretti had a legal licence to carry a handgun. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday, just weeks after Renée Good's fatal shooting in the same US city. The Department of Homeland Security claims Pretti was "brandishing" a gun and was a "domestic terrorist" who was aggressively approaching federal agents, but video evidence directly contradicts the Trump administration's "official" version of events. Vedika Bahl goes through multiple angles of the incident in Truth or Fake.
Across the United States, arrests by ICE agents – and protests against them – continue. As President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has intensified, more and more videos have gained traction online, showing ICE arrests filmed by bystanders. And whilst there are verified videos showing aggression by federal agents, not all the videos are authentic. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl goes through what's real and what's misleading.
In his lengthy speech at Davos, US President Donald Trump falsely claimed the US "gave back" Greenland to Denmark after World War II. In reality, Greenland has never been America's to give back at all. Vedika Bahl goes through the facts – and falsehoods – surrounding Greenland in this edition of Truth or Fake.
As Donald Trump marks one year back in the White House, FRANCE 24's Vedika Bahl takes a closer look at how he has weaponised artificial intelligence into a political tool, used to glorify himself, attack his opponents and amplify his political agenda. Whilst it has become a defining feature of his digital presence, it's brought with it a new frontier for misinformation and fake news.
What is the death toll from the protests in Iran? Since demonstrations broke out against the country's theocratic regime in late December, the number of reported deaths has continued to rise, though it has been harder than ever to verify an exact count with an internet blackout in Iran hindering communications. As of January 19, two main human rights groups have confirmed nearly 4,000 deaths, though that figure is likely a significate underestimate. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know in Truth or Fake.
In the aftermath of Renee Good's death during an immigration raid in Minnesota, an internet manhunt began to identify the ICE agent who fatally shot her. Using artificial intelligence, internet users "unmasked" the officer at the scene and falsely identified him, triggering threats and vitriol towards two unrelated people with the same name. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Amid nationwide protests in Iran against the country's theocracy, this week has also seen rallies take place in support of the government. But online, social media users have been sharing misleading content about these pro-regime rallies, using AI-generated footage and dated images to talk up the demonstrations. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Elon Musk's social media platform X has changed its Iranian flag emoji from the current Islamic Republic flag – featuring a red emblem – to the historic pre-revolution Lion and Sun symbol widely used by protesters against the regime. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl goes through how this change came to be, the online reactions and how useful the move could realistically be on the ground.
For around two weeks – and despite an internet blackout – thousands of Iranians have been mobilising in large protests that threaten the future of the regime. But some internet users are casting doubt over the protest images, claiming they're in fact much smaller than they appear, or using camera trickery or AI manipulation. Vedika Bahl goes through the claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has been fiercely criticised in recent days, after it began generating sexualised images of women and girls, flooding the app with explicit content. Some of the images involve girls as young as 10 years old, sparking global backlash. Multiple countries worldwide have demanded answers on how the app will comply to X's digital standards, or have referred the matter to their communications watchdogs. Vedika Bahl goes through what we know in Truth or Fake.
A viral social media clip with over 17 million views claims to show torture at the hands of Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela, thus justifying US intervention there. The only problem is that it's actually a scene from a Netflix film, although it's true that the movie was inspired by real events in the country – and there are indeed credible reports of repression in Venezuela. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
A video showing emotional Venezuelans celebrating the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro – and thanking US President Donald Trump – has been widely shared on social media, and even reposted by Elon Musk. The clip, however, is AI-generated. It joins several other false videos claiming to show joy and celebrations in Venezuela, either via dated or out-of-context clips. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.
After US President Donald Trump announced Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture in a social media post, AI-generated images claiming to show the incident flooded social media. These fake images were even used by some news sites and reposted by the official White House X account. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl talks us through what she’s seen online, and how misleading these images may have been.
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States