Communities are still on high alert for seismic activity following the earthquake in northeastern Japan on April 20. The magnitude 7.7 quake struck off Iwate Prefecture, causing tsunami waves that reached up to 80 centimeters high in the region. People living along coastal areas across 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefectures are on alert until April 27 for a potential mega quake. One thing that occurred after the earthquake could be doing a different kind of damage: misinformation and fake posts.
Fake posts began circulating right after Monday's tsunami warning. While some social media posts about the quake contained accurate information, others did not.
This post was widely shared on X immediately after the earthquake. It said that a tsunami warning had been issued and included footage. But the video was actually from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The post has been viewed over 1.9 million times.
Another post below, with the caption "tsunami observed," used a video created with generative AI. It's just the latest instance of disinformation spreading on social media following a seismic event.
During disasters, people can become anxious, and they want to know right away what happened and what will happen next. But some take advantage of the situation to get attention, posting false information or misleading videos.
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