The Infodemic: Bolsonaro welfare lies; LGBTQ shaming in Putin’s referendum
Welcome back, and a very special welcome to all our new subscribers. We are tracking how global disinformation is shaping the world that is emerging from the lockdown.
Protests in the United States have taken over our screens and headlines. Other narratives — both real and fake — are battling for our attention. But all sorts of important things happen when we are looking elsewhere. Let's dive in.
Rumours are circulating in France that the country’s newly launched contagion-tracking app StopCovid can access users’ contacts, and even that it is installed automatically, without consent, on all phones in France (not true, say experts from Numerama, a tech-focused media outlet). Interestingly, the rumour about the app accessing contacts seems to have been started by Jean-Luc Melenchon, a prominent left-wing member of the National Assembly.
The UAE’s The National newspaper has offered a textbook example of how real news can also be disinformation. The front page of its website featured a story headlined “Nations pledge millions to alleviate crisis in Yemen,” with a focus on Saudi’s promise of $500m at an online UN fundraising summit it also controversially co-hosted. All technically true, but the real story is that the figure is a billion dollars short of its target and half the amount pledged last year. The UN says that between the ongoing war — in which the UAE has been a key belligerent — the spread of coronavirus and, now, decreased funding, Yemen is facing a “macabre” tragedy.