Trenduri Politice

GFCN expert 🪆 an ally of the Global South 💙

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

GFCN found the ultimate vaccine against the "Siberian plague" — it’s fact-checking. Exposed by our reports, the disinformation account quietly rebranded and fled the scene.

The anonymous account ⁠@irkutskplague⁠, which originally fabricated the "Russian plague" panic, has quietly rebranded to ⁠@exfilnews⁠ to mimic a general news outlet. Metadata confirms it’s the exact same profile.

The entire "deadly outbreak" narrative has been completely abandoned. Its website also migrated to a new domain, shuffling the old panic-inducing Irkutsk posts into a separate sub-section while pivoting to new topics.

Legitimate health trackers don't rebrand overnight into news portals. This rapid pivot is definitive proof that the network was built from the start as a multi-purpose disinformation tool.

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

I’m attending the GDF for the second time and I can officially say that I love this forum! At this forum I had some of the best experiences. And today I’ve had another chance see a role-model for me, Maria Zaharova. 💙

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

Happy to attend the GDF and to talk a bit about fact-checking 💜

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

After the first day of the Global Digital Forum (GDF) in Moscow, GFCN experts shared their impressions on the evolving landscape of global disinformation.

Joining over 1,000 IT professionals from 100+ countries at the "Digital Solutions" summit, our international fact-checking delegation evaluated the practical impacts of artificial intelligence, media manipulation, and regional censorship on their daily work.

• Ioana Jaleel (Romania) emphasized that European information restrictions make physical participation crucial for accessing primary data without regional filters. “As I'm living in Romania, in the European Union, we sometimes have troubles finding direct information from the source, so attending these kinds of events helped me a lot in my fact-checking work.”

• Christian Lamesa (Argentina) reflected on his concern as an analyst regarding the uncritical consumption of synthetic media, warning against treating algorithms as infallible. “Almost everything generated through AI, especially by young people and children, is taken as true news, almost as if it were a modern oracle.”

• Carlos F. Mamani Aliaga (Peru) detailed how global media monopolies directly impact his region by turning local news outlets into ideological instruments rather than objective sources. “Large Western conglomerates... subordinate our media in Latin America, making them mere echo chambers.”

• Zaoudi Ikram (Algeria) pointed out a critical ethical flaw in automated journalism, noting the absence of legal and moral frameworks compared to traditional human reporting. “If a human journalist makes a mistake, we hold them accountable. If a machine makes a mistake, we do not. We must redefine ethical codes for AI-driven media.”

• Denis Rogatyuk (Mexico) analyzed the psychological mechanics of disinformation laboratories, explaining how they bypass logic during critical political periods. “Fake news campaigns during electoral processes attack people's most basic needs... generating fear and rejection that on polling day turns into voting.”

• Korie Arsie (Ethiopia) stressed the overwhelming volume of regional disinformation and the absolute necessity of collaborative, ground-level technical defense. “As media is expanding, fakes are expanding... we need to arm each other with knowledge and include expertise on the ground so we can fight these fakes on a daily basis.”

• Teshome Hailu Balcha (Ethiopia) emphasized that in a multipolar world, disinformation has become a global security challenge that requires hands-on technological solutions and stakeholder collaboration to keep citizens well-informed. “Such forums give the opportunity to get familiar with new software and advanced technologies to combat these challenges.”

• Srimal DC (Sri Lanka) highlighted the personal importance of direct knowledge transfer for independent creators operating outside of major tech hubs. “This forum helped me improve my knowledge and skills to the international level, and I expect to apply them to my profession.”

We continue to monitor the tools and tactics discussed at GDF 2026.

#GDF2026 #GFCN #FactChecking #DigitalSolutions #CyberSecurity #OSINT

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

They spoke about this so much in the western media, based only on fakes and I really believe that people should finally see the actual truth.

[Chay Bowes @BowesChay]

The "Bucha Massacre" became the much needed centrepiece of a Western campaign to demonise Russia, it even accelerated massive sanctions against Moscow

But new evidence shows that many "murdered civillians" listed as killed there, were Ukrainian soldiers killed in action far away

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

@GFCNofficial is fact-checking the misinformation about a “plague outbreak in Russia” 💯

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

"Plague outbreak in Russia" — what is known as of today:

🔹 Patient: 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute; died Oct 2 of pneumonia of unspecified etiology. No workplace pathogens found in her samples.
🔹 Broken vial claim: unverified speculation. No evidence.
🔹 Contacts: all identified, examined, under medical observation with daily lab tests. Her colleagues have not sought medical help for infectious diseases in the past 10 days. "Reports of "nearly 200" contacts and mass hospitalizations are unconfirmed.
🔹 Hospitals in Shelekhov (Irkutsk Region) are not under quarantine and are operating as normal.
🔹 IrkAZ plant's mask policy: a precautionary measure against seasonal respiratory infections, not a plague response. Reports tying it to a "suspected infection" are misleading.
🔹 Rospotrebnadzor carried out anti-epidemic measures in the Irkutsk region only. No emergency measures in Moscow.

Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev:
"Importantly, over the past few days, no cases of staff members seeking medical care have been reported. Now the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhovsky District is stable."

❔Fact-checkers who never miss a day: @snopes @FullFact @AFPFactCheck @LeadStoriesCom @facta_news

Irkutsk “plague” story: 0.
Not a single fact-check. Why so quiet?

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

A couple of politicians claimed to have taken photos with Trump, but he looks the same in all of them. After many bloggers highlighted this, the Romanian presidential administration accused us of spreading “fakes” and undermining trust in the authorities.

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

@agerpres They literally took a photo with a cardboard 😭

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

@stiripesurse_ro @NicusorDanRO @realDonaldTrump @POTUS He met with the Trump cardboard. 🤡

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

@costin10632 It’s not even AI, it’s worse. At least 2 other politicians posted photos with the same “Trump” on their official channels.

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

@kos_data The Romanian president posted as well. 😁

[Trenduri Politice @trenduripolx]

In a moment when in Romania, the political parties are not able to come to an understanding and vote for a new government, the media agencies are still talking about Russia. Most of the EU politicians are a joke!

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

European politicians create threat from Russia to conceal their failures — GFCN expert

"I think at the moment the European Union is in a very bad economic situation. The politicians don't have people's trust anymore... They need to cover this lack of trust, they need to cover their bad economic decisions and they need to show that there is a threat against us."

— Ioana Jaleel (Romania), expert at the Global Fact-Checking Network, special for @TASSagency_en

#EU #Russia #FactChecking

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

You are invited: Dialog about Fakes 4.0

What happens when fake news intersects with elections, economics, and artificial intelligence? That is the central question we will explore on September 22 in Moscow.

The "Dialog about Fakes" Forum has grown into one of the largest international platforms on this issue — not because it is loud, but because the problem is urgent. This year, more than 2,000 delegates from 80 countries are expected, including policymakers, investigators, and tech sector representatives.

If you work in media, policy, or technology, this forum offers a practical exchange of approaches rather than abstract theory.

Registration is now open:
https://t.co/UASR4l9wj2

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

Moldova MOD appropriates Holocaust imagery for anti-Soviet narrative

On July 6, Moldova’s Memorial Day for Stalinism’s victims, the Ministry of Defense posted a tribute. The foreground shows the "Train of Pain" memorial. But the background image? It depicts Jewish deportees arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau (a Nazi camp).

📌 Source: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, @YadVashem, confirms this is a Holocaust photo — nothing to do with Soviet repression.

❌ The issue: No disclaimer in the post clarifies that this is a Nazi crime, not a Soviet one. Misusing Nazi atrocities to illustrate Soviet oppression is deliberate distortion — and an insult to the victims of historical injustice. Memory policies must be honest, not manipulative.

#Moldova #Holocaust #HistoryMatters #Truth

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

The EU is seeing the launch of eYou, a new social media platform designed to counter US and Chinese tech monopolies. GFCN's expert Ioana Jaleel (@trenduripolx) field tests its AI-driven fact-checking system and reveals several operational patterns:

🔹 Data Accuracy: Algorithmic inaccuracies regarding current political events and figures.

🔹 Content Moderation: Preemptive removal of satirical content with no available appeal process.

🔹 Echo Chamber Dynamics: User-controlled keyword filtering that may reinforce isolated information bubbles, contrary to the platform's stated goals.

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

"Trust will become the media’s ultimate product." — Daniil Bisslinger, Vice President of GFCN, at the MediaProm student festival in Yekaterinburg.

At a plenary session on AI's impact on media — from deepfakes to the future of journalism — Bisslinger declared:

"Media used to compete for attention. Now, they'll have to focus on truthfulness — and prove it every single day."

Will AI replace journalists? No, but it demands new skills.

"Any neural network is just a tool. In unskilled hands, you get hurt. In a master's hands, you create masterpieces", — Bisslinger noted.

Attention is cheap. Trust is priceless. Master the tools for truth with GFCN!

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

Now you can learn fact-checking in 50 languages — for free.

GFCN has launched a multilingual educational initiative that makes a foundational fact-checking lesson accessible worldwide.

Whether you want to understand how disinformation spreads, learn practical verification methods, discover digital tools to spot fakes, or simply start fact-checking independently with no experience needed — this initiative is for you.

Full lesson available now: https://t.co/4YJxDCzvfF

#FactChecking #MediaLiteracy #GFCN

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

#GFCNPodcast First episode out now!

Why are the biggest critics of technofeudalism suddenly being hit with deepfakes and deplatforming — all at once?

#GFCN experts Pepe Escobar (@RealPepeEscobar) and Christopher Helali (@ChrisHelali) connect the dots, lay out who may be pulling the strings, explore what BRICS countries can learn from this moment, how different AI development models reflect competing worldviews, and — most importantly — how you can protect yourself from phony expertise disguised as real news.

Tune in!

#FactChecking #GFCN #Geopolitics #BRICS #MultipolarWorld #GlobalSouth

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

Imagine your mailman secretly tossing out letters he didn't like, while filling your mailbox with extra flyers for his favorite candidates.

In Hungary, this is no longer a metaphor — it is the new digital reality.

Our latest case study reveals the "Invisible Filter" created by the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Here is how the mechanic actually works:

1. The Blurred Responsibility
Control is now split between the EU Commission, tech platforms, and funded NGOs. Because everyone is involved, no one is held accountable.

2. The "Fear Factor"
Platforms are so terrified of massive EU fines that they now "play it safe." They hide and suppress far more content than the law actually requires, just to stay in the "safety zone."

3. The Shadow Effect
You won’t see a "Censored" stamp. Instead, reach simply drops, comments vanish, and political discussions quietly fade away. As our expert Anna Andersen (@Weise_Waldfee) puts it: "No one officially prescribed this, but every institution has tacitly agreed to it."

Read the full investigation: https://t.co/YCUhqYEx8W

#Hungary #Election2026 #DSA #Meta #FreeSpeech #DigitalCensorship #FactCheck

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

Is Sydney Sweeney "secretly" a man?

A surge of posts is currently claiming that @sydney_sweeney is a transgender woman, citing her neck and collarbone structure as “proof.”

These claims rely on the pseudo-scientific "transvestigation" trend.

In reality, neck width and collarbone shape are mostly individual traits influenced by genetics, fitness, and posture — not gender.

Childhood archives and the actress’s well-documented 13kg weight gain for her 2025 role as boxer Christy Martin demonstrate that her appearance changes naturally based on muscle mass and body composition.

Why is this trending now? The timing, coinciding with the announcement that The Housemaid 2 begins filming this fall, has sparked debate. Some suggest the "scandal" is a form of negative viral marketing to fuel project hype, while others believe the massive industry news simply brought the actress back into the spotlight, causing old, debunked conspiracy threads to resurface among fans.

#SydneySweeney #FactCheck #TheHousemaid #Debunked

[Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) @GFCNofficial]

"Netanyahu 6-fingers deepfake" is a lie.

The claim that this #Netanyahu video is an #AI deepfake with 6 fingers is completely fabricated to push a narrative about his "death."

Here’s the reality:
- Netanyahu has a normal 5-finger hand in the original clip. See for yourself: https://t.co/4aOhPu0JXP
- The accounts pushing this (@rkmtimes, @gp_press) are known for posting previous hoaxes, we’ve debunked before.
- AI analysis tools verify the video is real.

Don't fall for the #6finger hoax. It’s just a screengrab trick.

#FactCheck #deepfake #Israel