BBC Trending

In depth reporting about the world of social media. Listen to our podcast:

[BBC World Service @bbcworldservice]

Search for BBC The Darkest Web from 17 February to watch on BBC platforms and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

The BBC has gone undercover on Telegram to investigate how Ukrainians are being offered thousands of dollars to stage arson attacks and bombings against their own country.

Ukraine has accused Russia of using Telegram - and in some cases TikTok or even video game platforms - to recruit teenagers and children as young as 11 to carry out sabotage.

Using a burner phone and an alias, BBC Trending contacted Telegram channels and accounts which offer a sliding scale of payments depending on the target. These ranged from $1,500 for setting fire to a post office to $3,000 for a bank. Payment, either in cryptocurrency or via bank transfer, was promised in return for video proof of arson.  An 18-year-old, who is awaiting trial on terrorism charges, told the BBC he was promised $2,000 to plant a bomb in a van used by the conscription service, but the attack was foiled.

Read more👀: https://t.co/5bG6jjDe2b
Listen 🎧: https://t.co/LXSC4LeRGe

[Flora Carmichael @FloraCarmichael]

Sabotage by smartphone: Ukrainian teenagers are being recruited on Telegram to commit acts of sabotage against their own country. @BBCTrending investigates with @hardoond and BBC Ukrainian in the last episode of our current series https://t.co/BmUXmpPPi2

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

Moldova goes to the polls this weekend. Will a fugitive oligarch sway the election? The BBC goes undercover to investigate how a Russian-funded fake news network aims to disrupt the vote 🎧 https://t.co/48tGYAHE6T

[Marco Silva 🌍 @BBCMarcoSilva]

Judging by how often US President Donald Trump has repeated the slogan “Drill, baby, drill”, you might be tempted to think he coined the phrase. 🧵

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

No, there isn’t a "white genocide" happening in South Africa - read more about our latest episode from @griffmedia and @mpholakaje on the BBC Verify Live page https://t.co/QBh2Dmbuev

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

Unmasking the mysterious informer who aided President Putin’s efforts to crush dissent: https://t.co/OFi85h8mGn
Anna Korobokova boasted online of taking pleasure in denouncing hundreds of her fellow Russians to the authorities. But nobody had met her or knew who she really was. @agent_Alka reports on how one of Korobkova’ victims turned detective to discover the serial denouncer’s real identity.

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

What does the digital footprint of a smuggler tell us about his criminal activities? We’ve tracked one man held responsible for the deaths of several migrants aboard a boat that went adrift earlier this year. Listen to ‘From a smugglers TikTok to tragedy’ to hear more. https://t.co/2IbGlONMAB

[Reha रेहा @rehakansara]

NEW from BBC Verify: we’ve tracked down a smuggler behind a deadly migrant crossing earlier this year.

cc. @shrutimenon10, @HazaraZubair , @FloraCarmichael @dan_isaacs @biancabritton, @DilayYalcin_ + more

https://t.co/VWKa3vdzgw

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

Unlabelled political ads, thousands of inauthentic accounts and mysterious comments - this was TikTok in Romania ahead of December's elections. Far-right candidate Calin Georgescu's shock victory in the first round of elections was annulled last year amid accusations of Russian interference. Polls reopen in Romania this weekend, but Georgescu has been barred from running. BBC Trending has spoken to Romanian influencers, accused of taking part in TikTok campaigns which derailed the election. They told us their videos were flooded with comments in support of Calin Georgescu. @IngsRowan reports: https://t.co/TYX8Ybpe4b

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta would abandon the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram in the United States. Instead, the company says it will be following X’s lead by shifting to Community Notes. But what does this shift really mean? Will it lead to more free speech and fewer errors? Or does it open the door for misinformation to spread more easily? @mariannaspring reports: https://t.co/1I0zLf1m15

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

How big a problem is music streaming fraud? The US Department of Justice has accused musician Mike Smith of using AI tools and thousands of bots to fraudulently stream songs billions of times - taking millions of dollars of royalties which otherwise would have been paid to real artists. @bethanjgodwin investigates the dark side of music streaming: https://t.co/OdkFjy7NHF

[Marco Silva 🌍 @BBCMarcoSilva]

How did a social media post about a strange-looking ship 🚢trigger an explosion of conspiracy theories?

I have been investigating how false claims about last year's flash floods in Valencia spread online 👇

Watch here: https://t.co/m9iCYj4KZM

[Reha रेहा @rehakansara]

Despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, civilians who’ve been internally displaced in the south grapple with life away from their homes - and the scarcity of aid. But one woman is trying to solve the problem. My piece for today.

https://t.co/e2IfoW8xcu

[BBC News Africa @BBCAfrica]

🇳🇬 Who are the fertility scammers targeting Nigerian women desperate for motherhood - and fuelling an underground trade in babies?

#BBCAfricaEye goes undercover to investigate.

📽️ Watch the full documentary here: https://t.co/CGlP4QFklX

#CrypticPregnancy

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

@bbcworldservice In a statement, TikTok said: "We prioritise the safety of our community with some of the industry's firmest streaming requirements, including specific policies for Match content, customisable safety tools for viewers, and only allowing people over 18 to go live or send gifts."

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

The Big Game is going down a storm on Somali Tikok. Influencers 'battle' each other to prove their clan is superior on the night - to an audience of tens of thousands.

But are these games just entertainment? 🧵

[BBC Trending @BBCtrending]

@bbcworldservice She was verbally abused by a US-based male influencer who participates in the TikTok games. He also threatened to publish fake sexualised images of her. Zara says it happens a lot, you can read her story here: https://t.co/LaFqJ1KhKE