Everyone can be susceptible to misinformation, one expert said.
In recent days, social media posts providing alarming updates on protesters in Iran have been shared by tens of thousands online.
The posts, including by prominent officials and celebrities, falsely claimed that Iran's parliament had voted to execute thousands of detained protesters.
Iran's parliament does not issue sentences; that's a power that rests with its judiciary branch. So how did this inaccurate claim originate?
Protests in Iran erupted over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died on Sept. 16 after being taken into custody by the "morality police" in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
The nationwide protests in the weeks since have been violently suppressed by the government, as Iranians demand a change in regime. Internet blackouts and government crackdowns have made it difficult for reliable information to circulate within Iran and abroad.
"We try to see everything by our own eyes because that's the most true thing that we can have the access to," a protester, who is not being identified to protect her safety, told ABC News from Iran. "The Internet is so weak, so we cannot have the access easily."
On Nov. 6, 227 out of 290 members of Iran's parliament signed a letter urging the judiciary to impose harsher, quicker sentences on protesters, as reported by the state-controlled IRNA News Agency. The lawmakers asked for severe punishment of those who incited riots, calling them...
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in "good health" and suffered only minor injuries during the February 28 strikes, senior Iranian officials said on Friday, dismissing mounting speculation...