Infodemic: Unrest in Belarus, Zimbabwe in tatters and platform-hopping conspiracists
Welcome. We are tracking how global disinformation is shaping the world emerging from the Covid-19 lockdown. Today, we take you from Minsk to Harare, with a stop in Kenya and a hop around big tech platforms. Here are the latest narratives — both real and fake — that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
Extraordinary demonstrations are rocking Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship. In the run-up to presidential elections on August 9, thousands have taken to the streets in support of opposition candidate Svetlanata Tikhanovskaya. After 26 years in power, strongman leader Alexander Lukashenka is suddenly on shaky ground. What got him there? A crumbling economy, a recent crackdown on the opposition and, according to our sources on the ground, the fact that he didn’t take the pandemic seriously. Lukashenka dismissed the dangers of Covid-19, kept businesses open and urged his security services to investigate those spreading information about the virus that contradicted official narratives.
Zimbabwe is also in the midst of a political and economic crisis accelerated by the virus. Since the pandemic began, the nation’s currency has collapsed and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime has launched a crackdown on opposition and dissent. In anticipation of protests scheduled for today, the government deployed soldiers to the nation's streets. There have also been widespread reports of activists being arrested and abducted. Meanwhile, health workers are on strike in protest against low pay and lack of PPE, and citizens are increasingly turning to traditional medicine in the absence of reliable healthcare. Disinformation has also been spreading via WhatsApp and other platforms, including the claim that Black people are less susceptible to Covid-19 and that it can be cured with a hot bath.
Kenya is the latest example of how Covid-19 can undermine vaccination programs worldwide. The government says more than 400,000 girls have now missed out on the HPV vaccination program launched last year to combat cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of female death in Kenya. The HPV inoculation has long been a target of anti-vaxxers — as we investigated back in June — and now the pandemic has only amplified these theories. For more on how conspiracy theorists are outsmarting tech companies by jumping from platform to platform, keep reading.