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Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, says it is considering reviewing its policies on COVID-19 misinformation.
In addition, it said that it is proposing a shift from removing false claims to simply labeling or demoting them on its social media platform.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs disclosed this in a blog post.
“We’re asking the Oversight Board whether our current COVID-19 misinformation policy is still appropriate. Under this policy, we began removing false claims about masks, social distancing, vaccines and more.
“Meta remains committed to combating COVID-19 misinformation and providing people with reliable information,” part of the statement read.
“As the pandemic has evolved, the time is right for us to seek input from the Oversight Board about our measures to address COVID-19 misinformation, including whether those introduced in the early days of an extraordinary global crisis remain the right approach for the months and years ahead,” Clegg said.
Meta’s current policies explicitly ban a wide array of false contents about Covid-19, such as that the illness can be transmitted by 5G wireless technology or that Covid-19 tests can infect you with the virus.
Clegg said the company has listed as many as 80 distinct types of false claims that are subject to removal from its platforms and has removed more than 25 million pieces of violative content.
He explained that Meta’s original decision to begin removing those claims was an unprecedented step brought on by the global health emergency.
“The change meant that, for the first time, the policy would provide for the removal of entire categories of false claims on a worldwide scale,” he wrote.
Clegg described the company’s decision, and its request for an Oversight Board opinion, as an effort to resolve “inherent tensions between free expression and safety.”
A WEB portal allegedly from the National Population Commission (NPC) is circulating on social media with a claim that the Commission is receiving applications from eligible Nigerians for the NPC ad-hoc recruitment exercise.
The post, which was retrieved from WhatsApp groups, includes a web link purported to be the official recruitment portal launched by the Commission. The portal listed the requirements for the recruitment exercise.
The post read:
“NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION E-RECRUITMENT EMPOWEREMENT 2022/2023
The National Population Commission has Launched its recruitement Empowerements portal ahead of 2022/2023 and the about to start trial census.
How to apply for NPC Adhoc Recruitment:
Interested and Eligible NIGERIANS who are willling to apply for the recruitment are to visit the official site.
REQUIREMENTs:
1. APPLICANTS MUST BE NIGERIAN BY BIRTH
2. VALIDATORY I.D CARD
3. APPLICANT MUST POCESS ATLEAST
OND
HND
BS.c
NCE
SSCE
NOTE: APPLICANTS MUST NOT BE MINOR i.e Under 18”
Screenshot of the viral post retrieved from a WhatsApp group.
The National Population Commission (NPC) is the principal demographic government agency in Nigeria responsible for generating data about the country’s population.
The Commission had revealed plans to conduct a fresh national population census in 2023.
The NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, had earlier disclosed that there would be a trial census that would run from June 27 to July 30, 2022, with coverage of about 7,718 enumerated areas.
Similarly, Deji Ajayi, who is the NPC Commissioner representing Ekiti State had said that the Commission would recruit not less than one million personnel for the conduct of the 2023 national census.
Ajayi said the recruitment for the 2023 census will be done electronically because “census is a massive operation that will engage one million personnel and managing such a huge workforce manually will raise huge logistical and documentation challenges.”
“This is the first time we will be doing a paperless census, everything will be digital to check corruption and bring about accurate data that can help national development,” he added.
CLAIM
The National Population Commission (NPC) is receiving applications from Nigerians for the NPC ad-hoc recruitment exercise.
A screenshot shows the webpage view of the viral link.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the viral post in circulation is FALSE.
A click on the link, archived here, redirects intending applicants to web pages requesting their details such as name, email address, phone number, and password to apply.
Further checks show that the web link is fake as it was found to be a phishing website and not the official recruitment portal of the NPC as claimed in the viral post.
A phishing website, according to TechTarget, is a domain similar in name and appearance to an official website; they’re made in order to fool someone into believing it is legitimate.
The NPC had, on May 30, 2022, announced the opening of an e-recruitment portal for the recruitment of ad-hoc staff for the Trial Census exercise nationwide.
In a press statement signed by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, the recruitment of the 14,461 field functionaries has been concluded and the Trial Census has since commenced.
“The attention of the National Population Commission has been drawn to the circulation on social media platforms of a fake ‘NPC Recruitment 2022/2023’ portal, inviting Nigerians to apply for employment for the Trial Census and the 2023 Census.
“The Commission wishes to state that this information is totally false, misleading, and should therefore be treated as a scam by fraudsters to swindle unsuspecting members of the public, particularly job applicants.
“The Commission disassociates itself from the portal and reiterates the fact that its recruitment portal for the ongoing Trial Census is no longer active and was shut down the moment the Commission concluded its recruitment process for the exercise.
“Furthermore, National Population Commission is taking every measure to uncover those behind the fraudulent recruitment site. Similarly, scammers are warned to desist from this inglorious act as the Commission will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law to bear on perpetrators in its quest to conduct the first fully digital Population and Housing Census in Nigeria next year that will be credible and acceptable,” the statement read.
These claims usually follow a similar modus operandi by targeting areas that would be of interest to a lot of people.
They are often shared via the WhatsApp platform. Oftentimes, they impersonate a group, person, or organisation and they all have a web link they ask people to click.
The claim that the NPC is receiving applications from Nigerians for the ad-hoc recruitment exercise is FALSE; as findings show it is a phishing website.
FOLLOWING the collapse of Nigeria’s national electricity grid last week, a viral claim has circulated online.
The report, which was published by several blogs in Nigeria, claimed that last Wednesday’s collapse made it the 18th time the grid would collapse in the year 2022 alone.
“The National Grid on Wednesday suffered another system collapse resulting in blackout in many parts of the country.
“It was the 18th time a nationwide blackout would be recorded this year.
“While some collapses were not made public because they lasted for a short period, many others were made public and lasted days in some cases.
“Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) confirmed the latest development in a statement on Wednesday,” the report published by The Paradise read in part.
THE CLAIM
The national grid has collapsed 18 times in 2022.
Screenshot of the claim as seen on The Nigerian Voice blog.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
According to the major newspapers in Nigeria, last Wednesday’s grid collapse was the sixth one this year (2022).
“Major Nigerian cities including the Federal Capital Territory were thrown into darkness on Wednesday when the country’s electricity grid collapsed.
“Electricity distribution companies announced Wednesday that the collapse occurred at about 11:00 a.m.
“Wednesday’s incident is the sixth reported collapse in 2022,” Premium Times report read in part.
Similarly, the EKEDC the blogs quoted in their reports did not in any part of the statement mention that the grid had collapsed eighteen times.
There is no evidence to support the claim made by the blogs that the grid had witnessed 18 collapses this year.
Also, prior to Wednesday’s collapse, a report by Ripples Nigeria, when the grid collapsed for the fifth time in June 2022, chronicled the timeline of the grid collapses as twice in March and twice again in April.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the national grid has collapsed 18 times this year is FALSE; as findings revealed that the grid had collapsed six times only this year.
Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor said the content includes “fake news” about the conflict in Ukraine.
The regulator said the Tagansky District Court fined Google 21.1 billion rubles for repeatedly failing to restrict access promptly to banned materials.
Tekedia reports that Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube has been a particular target of the state’s ire but was yet to be blocked unlike Twitter and Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram.
The fine placed on Google was calculated as a share of Google’s annual turnover in Russia.
It had been handed a similar 7.2-billion-ruble penalty late last year.
Google’s Russian unit’s bank account has been seized, which has prompted the subsidiary to file for bankruptcy, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors.
Google, however, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Information Policy, Anton Gorelkin, said Google was showing a demonstrative disregard for Russian law.
He said, “It is not hard to predict what this attitude will lead to: Google risks losing the Russian market altogether.”
YOUTUBE says it is cracking down on videos containing abortion misinformation and will take down videos that provide instructions for unsafe abortion.
The company, in a tweet, added that videos that promote false claims about abortion safety would no longer be allowed on its platform.
“Starting today and ramping up over the next few weeks, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe abortion methods or promotes false claims about abortion safety under our medical misinformation policies.”
The Chief Executive Officer of YouTube, Susan Wojcicki, had earlier restated the commitment of the video-streaming site to curbing misinformation and promoting free speech on its platform.
The company had also announced its intention to collaborate with fact-checkers, using information panels to curb misinformation.
YouTube, in the new development, also restated its commitment to connecting people to content from authoritative sources on health topics.
“Like all of our policies on health/medical topics, we rely on published guidance from health authorities. We prioritize connecting people to content from authoritative sources on health topics, and we continuously review our policies & products as real world events unfold,” it stated.
It also announced that it would be launching an information panel to provide viewers of videos on its platform with context and information from local and global health authorities.
It noted: “We’re also launching an information panel that provides viewers with context and information from local and global health authorities under abortion-related videos and above relevant search results.”
A VIRAL post has claimed that Ademola Adeleke is giving out N10,000 campaign grants to Nigerians.
The post which was retrieved from a WhatsApp group claimed that the grant is given through Ademola Adeleke Support Group as part of his campaign funds.
The viral post includes a link, archived here, which directs users to a webpage showing the graphics of Ademola Adeleke and the party’s logo.
THE CLAIM
Ademola Adeleke is giving out N10,000 campaign grants to Nigerians.
Screenshot of the web link when clicked.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
A check on the link attached to the post shows that it is a phishing website similar to the ones earlier debunked by The FactCheckHub as seen here and here.
A CLAIM that Yusuf Lasun, the Labour Party candidate in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, has withdrawn from the poll has circulated online.
The claim shared by a Facebook Page, Osun Pathfinder Gist, added that Lasun dropped his ambition to support Ademola Adeleke, the PDP candidate in the election.
That Lasun Yusuf, the Labour Party governorship candidate, has withdrawn from the Osun election.
Screenshot of the claim as seen on Facebook.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Wole Oladimeji, the media aide to the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate in Osun State, told The FactCheckHub that Yusuf Lasun is still so much in the race.
“There is nothing like that, it is a figment of their imagination,” Oladimeji says in a telephone conversation.
Similarly, Lasun was seen casting his vote on Saturday in Osun state, where he also warned against vote-buying, Channels TV reported.
His political party, of which he was the flagbearer, was also on the ballot papers used during the election.
“I have not stepped down, and I will never step down for anyone,” Lasun said.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Yusuf Lasun, the Labour Party candidate, has withdrawn from the 2022 Osun state gubernatorial election is FALSE; as Lasun debunked the claim.
A PHOTO showing a building around the polling unit of the incumbent Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola has surfaced online with a claim that it shows a dilapidated school building in his hometown in Iragbiji, Osun State.
The photo posted on Facebook today is circulating as Oyetola, who is seeking re-election for a second tenure as the state governor, cast his vote at the Polling Unit 02, Ward 1, LA Primary School Popo, Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
A Facebook user, Ayobamitale Ibrahim Holly posted the photo with a caption that reads:
“One of the show of shame and darkness in Osun by APC/Oyetola, see dilapidated school building where he is voting, haaa….
Insha’Allah, Imole Adeleke/PDP maa tan l’Osun leni….”
The FactCheckHub confirmed that the photo shows the Local Authority Primary School in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State.
The signpost of the school: Photo Credit: Alawode Vindication
An observer with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Alawode Vindication, and a resident of the area, Taoheed Adegbite confirmed to The FactCheckHub that the building is a school, adding that it is in a dilapidated state.
“The school is still active. There are other good buildings in the school but this particular building is over 10 years already. It was a building built during the Oyinlola’s tenure and it’s no more in use,” Adegbite said.
A wider picture of the building. Photo Credit: Wilodi Harold.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the photo shows a dilapidated school building around Gboyega Oyetola’s polling unit in Osun State is TRUE.
THE screenshot of a post attributed to a Twitter account, @APCYSForum, claiming that the Osun state governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke has been sacked by a court has circulated on social media.
The tweet reads: “People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke has been sacked by the court, Gov Oyetola 4+4= 8.”
The now-deleted tweet, as seen on the screenshot, was posted on July 5, 2022.
That a court has sacked Ademola Adeleke, the PDP governorship candidate in Osun state.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The court had earlier in May 2022 affirmed Senator Ademola Adeleke as the validly elected PDP candidate for the governorship election in Osun State holding today (Saturday).
Using some keywords, a search on the internet shows that there is no credible media that reported the court ruling.
Findings by TheFactCheckHub show that Ademola Adeleke’s political party (PDP) is still on the ballot papers used on Saturday as the election continues in the state.
Media reports published by The ICIR and The Punch also show that Adeleke cast his vote at the ongoing election and lauded the electoral process.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Ademola Adeleke, the PDP candidate for the 2022 Osun State governorship election has been sacked by a court is FALSE; findings show that he cast his vote on Saturday at the ongoing election.
A TWEET alleging that Lekan Badmus, the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Special Duties in Osun State has been caught with thumb-printed ballot papers in Ward 2, Osogbo Local Government Area of the state has circulated online.
The claim archived here and here stated that Lekan Badmus was caught with thumb-printed ballot in Osun State.
