One week into the Russian war on Ukraine, a Press Gazette analysis has found that almost three quarters of fake news and misinformation about the conflict was spread on Facebook and Twitter.
Sixty percent of the 350 false or misleading claims listed in the International Fact-checking Network’s #UkraineFacts database as of Wednesday were found to be circulating on Facebook, while a further 35% were spread via Twitter.
Social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok have played an important role in spreading front line updates from the fast-moving conflict in Ukraine. Press Gazette has compiled a list of 43 UK reporters filing updates from Ukraine.
The platforms have, in the past, come under fire for false claims and propaganda disseminated through their networks.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are among the countries that have asked the tech platforms to take a firmer stance on false and misleading content - some of it directly spread by the Kremlin.
Facebook and Twitter recently removed two anti-Ukrainian "covert influence operations", one connected with Russia and another with Belarus. Facebook’s owner, Meta, has banned Russian state-owned media outlets from selling advertisements on its platforms and has restricted access to RT and Sputnik across the EU.
Other tech companies including Google have held discussions with western officials on how to clamp down on misinformation shared through their platforms.
But despite the tech giants’ steps, an overwhelming...
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