Media and Disinformation Update #11
Community notes, chatbots and Scottish independence
If you find this newsletter of value, click the ❤️ above 🙏🏻☀️Welcome to Edition #11 of perspicacity’s Media and Disinformation Update. In this edition you’ll read about the US government report on children’s health that referenced fake reports among its sources, disinformation propagated by chatbot ‘fact-checks’, and a study that found more than half of mental health advice on TikTok contained misinformation.
Also covered are X’s concerns about its own AI ‘community notes’ system, the exodus of journalists fleeing repression in El Salvador, and the pro-Scottish independence accounts on X that suddenly went dark during an internet blackout in Iran…
perspicacity is committed to fact-based reporting that meets the highest standards of journalistic integrity. No content is AI-generated. To access the full stories summarised below, click on the headline.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Hey chatbot, is this true? AI 'fact checks' sow misinformation
France24 / AFP, 2 June 2025
As misinformation exploded during India's four-day conflict with Pakistan, social media users turned to an AI chatbot for verification, only to encounter more falsehoods.
Grok – under scrutiny for inserting ‘white genocide’, a far-right conspiracy theory, into unrelated queries – wrongly identified old video footage from Sudan's Khartoum airport as a missile strike on a Pakistan airbase during the country's recent conflict with India. Unrelated footage of a building on fire in Nepal was misidentified as “likely” showing Pakistan's military response to Indian strikes.
The issue is a global one. When AFP fact-checkers in Uruguay asked Gemini about an AI-generated image of a woman, it not only confirmed its authenticity but also fabricated details about her identity and where the image was likely taken.
Related:
Grok struggles with fact-checking amid Israel-Iran war
Digital Forensic Research Lab, 24 June 2025
Elon Musk's AI chatbot churns out antisemitic posts days after update
NBC News, 8 July 2025
Business Insider, 12 July 2025
AI chatbots could spread ‘fake news’ with serious health consequences
University of South Australia, 30 June 2025
Conspiracy theorists are building AI chatbots to spread their beliefs
Crikey, 17 June 2025
Meta’s suit against Hong Kong firm was just the beginning: more companies linked to CrushAI ‘nudify’ apps
Bellingcat, 18 June 2025
On the surface, Crushmate appeared to be one of many artificial intelligence “girlfriend” or “companion” apps. Its multiple websites said it specialised in “crafting the AI girl of your dreams.” On Google and Apple’s app stores, it was described as an “AI chat product designed to provide users with a comprehensive emotional support and communication experience.”
But ads linked to the app on popular social media platforms, including thousands on Instagram and Facebook, showed it was offering an entirely different service: making non-consensual nude images of real women.
EL SALVADOR
At least 40 journalists have fled El Salvador, fearing imprisonment
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 25 June 2025
Dozens of journalists from El Salvador have gone into exile in the face of escalating government harassment, intimidation and arbitrary press restrictions, according to the Journalists Association of El Salvador.
The organisation estimates that 40 journalists, fearing arrest, have had to leave in the last month as President Nayib Bukele has escalated the crackdown on his critics.
NIGERIA
Violent extremist disinformation: Insights from Nigeria and beyond
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 28 May 2025
The intentional spread of false or misleading information to inflict harm raises unprecedented challenges in today’s digital age. Drawing on findings from a multiyear project, this brief seeks to raise awareness of the complex dynamics and potential harms associated with disinformation propagated by extremist actors. Focusing on Nigeria, and in particular Boko Haram, it outlines the enabling conditions, defining features and potential harmful impacts of such disinformation.
SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok deploys Czech election task force amid disinformation fears
Euractiv, 6 June 2025
TikTok is taking pre-emptive action ahead of the Czech parliamentary elections in October by deploying a 53-member team of local moderators to monitor content on the platform.
The move comes amid growing public concern about manipulation through social media, a sentiment shared by 78% of Czechs, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Czech Interior Ministry.
