Tag: fake news
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NITDA warns against ‘panic message’ circulating on WhatsApp
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has identified a file being circulated on WhatsApp tagged ‘Argentina is Doing it’, as fake news and warned the general public to avoid opening the link. Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of the NITDA, who gave the warning in a statement on Saturday, warned…
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The world will not be destroyed by fire – Owei Lakemfa
By Owei Lakemfa A veteran journalist called me on April 4 to confirm if indeed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) issued a statement advising government against approving the Fifth Generation Mobile Technology (5G) claiming it is dangerous and linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The NUJ also reportedly rejected the invitation of Chinese doctors…
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Oyo Governor, Makinde Fires Media Aide for posting fake news on social media
Barely 24 hours after he posted an untrue post on his Facebook page, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has sacked one of his media aides, Mr Murtala Adigun. Until his removal, Mr Adigun, who is popularly known as Adigun Ibadan, served as the Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media. On Thursday, the…
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17 arrested over COVID-19 ‘fake news’ posts
Cambodian authorities have arrested 17 people since January over social media posts about the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) that the government has branded “fake news,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. “Four of the five people who have been charged and jailed are from the outlawed main opposition party,’’ the international rights organisation said. They…
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Harbingers of fake news ‘ll be jailed, says new Abuja NUJ chapel Chairman
Harbingers of fake news and unregistered journalists will be brought to book once they are accosted. Newly elected Chairman of the Abuja Correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr Phil Nyam made this disclosure on Monday. Nyam in a chat with TNG said:”The activities of fake journalists has seriously dented the image of…
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Facebook promises to fight fake election news in Africa
With elections scheduled to be held in various African countries this year, Facebook has devised mechanisms to reduce the spread of fake news, the social media giant said on Wednesday. African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Senegal are scheduled to have elections this year. Nigeria is scheduled to hold Presidential and National…
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Anti-spam engineer says WhatsApp not megaphone
WhatsApp has sought to present itself as a private messaging app designed for communication between individuals or small groups. TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Matt Jones, WhatsApp anti-spam engineering team lead, hinted on this on Wednesday as the company battles to curb spread of fake news and misinformation. He said the social messaging app was not built…
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EU seeks more efforts against fake news from Facebook, Google, others
The European Commission on Tuesday called on social media giants including Facebook and Google to take stronger action against disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections in May. In September, Facebook, Google, Mozilla and Twitter signed up to a voluntary EU code of conduct to tackle fake news online. At the time, the commission warned that it…
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JUST IN: EFCC invites Fani-Kayode, Odumakin for peddling fake news on CJN Onnoghen
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday said it would invite the two politicians who circulated a fake news on Tuesday for questioning. Tony Orilade, a spokesperson for the anti-graft office, said the news could injure the country’s interest and said Femi Fani-Kayode and Yinka Odumakin would have to explain their action. Recall…