Rumor Scanner, a fact-checking organization in Bangladesh, identified 351 pieces of false information spreading online in May of this year. This marks the highest number of misinformation reports detected in a single month since August of last year, when 386 instances were found.
According to fact-checks published on Rumor Scanner’s website for May, the majority of the misinformation, 143 cases or 41% of the total, was related to political topics. Additionally, 87 false reports concerned international issues, 64 were about national matters, 22 dealt with entertainment and literature, 13 involved scams, 10 were about sports, 6 related to religious topics, and 2 were about education.
In May, videos were the most common type of misinformation, accounting for 151 false reports. There were also 128 instances of false information and 72 cases of misleading images. Of all the misinformation found, 230 incidents were classified as false, 64 as distorted, and 56 as misleading. Additionally, one humorous or sarcastic piece was fact-checked because it was presented as a real claim.
Facebook was the biggest platform for spreading misinformation last month, with 333 false reports. Other platforms where misinformation spread include Instagram (74 cases), YouTube (65 cases), X (32 cases), TikTok (19 cases), Threads (5 cases), and WhatsApp (at least 1 case). Even Bangladeshi media outlets weren’t exempt, as Rumor Scanner found 23 instances of misinformation spreading through multiple local news sources.
While communal misinformation related to Bangladesh has been a frequent topic of discussion in recent months, it seems to have decreased slightly. Rumor Scanner identified five such cases in May. Interestingly, in three of these cases, the misinformation was spread on social media by accounts and pages identified as Indian.
Rumor Scanner’s team observed ten pieces of false information circulating last month concerning the current interim government. To better understand these, Rumor Scanner categorized them into two types: “positive” if they favored the government and “negative” if they were against it. All of these false reports portrayed the government in a negative light.
In May, fifteen pieces of misinformation spread about Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor of the interim government. Around 93% of these (14 instances) presented him negatively. Other government advisors were also targeted: Dr. Asif Nazrul was linked to three false reports (all negative), Mahfuz Alam to three (all negative), Jahangir Alam Chowdhury to two (all negative), A F M Khalid Hossain to two (all negative), Syeda Rizwana Hasan to two (all negative), Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan to one (negative), and Wahiduddin Mahmud to one (negative).
With much discussion surrounding the 13th National Parliament Election, Rumor Scanner found at least eleven pieces of misinformation related to it circulating last month.
Analyzing their fact-checks from last month, Rumor Scanner found that among political parties, the recently banned Bangladesh Awami League, along with its associated organizations and members, was the subject of the most misinformation (44 instances). Of these, sixteen false reports directly involved the Awami League, with 87% of them creating a positive impression of the party. The party’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (now banned), was linked to four false reports (75% positive), and the Jubo League to one (negative). Furthermore, six instances of misinformation about the party’s president, Sheikh Hasina, were identified, all of which were positive.
Following the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its associated organizations, and its members became the next most frequent targets of misinformation in May, with 38 false reports. Of these, ten directly involved the BNP as a party, and 70% aimed to create a negative impression. During this period, there was one negative false report about the party’s chairperson, Khaleda Zia; nine false reports about acting chairman Tarique Rahman, 67% of which were negative; and five negative false reports about secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Additionally, the party’s student wing, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, was linked to five negative false reports, and the Jubo Dal to one negative false report.
Furthermore, 29 pieces of misinformation were spread about Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, its associated groups, and members in May. Five of these directly involved Jamaat as a party, all of which aimed to create a negative impression. The party’s Amir, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, was targeted by eleven negative false reports, and its student wing, Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, by nine negative false reports.
Lastly, The National Citizen Party (NCP) and its members were the subject of 32 pieces of misinformation last month. Seven of these directly involved the NCP as a party, all aiming to create a negative impression. The party’s convener, Nahid Islam, was linked to three negative false reports, while party leaders Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, Tasnim Zara, and Abdul Hannan Masud were targeted by sixteen (all negative), one (negative), four (all negative), and one (negative) false reports respectively.
State forces weren’t safe from misinformation either. Last month, Rumor Scanner found eleven pieces of false information targeting the Bangladesh Army, including four specifically about its chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman. We also identified five false reports about the Bangladesh Police, two about the Bangladesh Air Force, and one about the Bangladesh Navy.
Analyzing last month’s misinformation, Rumor Scanner noted 31 instances of fake content created using artificial intelligence (AI). During the same period, six deepfake videos were also identified.
In early May, a military conflict between India and Pakistan led to a lot of misinformation online, including old photos and videos from different events being falsely shared. AI technology was even used to create fake images and videos. Rumor Scanner identified at least 67 pieces of false information related to these events last month. Later in May, when Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus mentioned considering his resignation during a regular advisory council meeting on May 22, it sparked widespread discussion and, unfortunately, a wave of false information. Rumor Scanner found and fact-checked at least 16 false reports related to this issue last month. Additionally, heavy rainfall in various parts of the country due to a low-pressure system at the end of May also led to at least six false reports that Rumor Scanner identified and fact-checked.
Last month, 84 pieces of false information were spread by misusing the names, logos, headlines, and fake photocards of 31 domestic and foreign news outlets in 80 incidents. Jamuna TV, a mainstream media outlet, was impersonated the most (15 times) in these false reports. Following Jamuna TV, the names of Kaler Kantho (12 times) and Kalbela (7 times) were also frequently misused.
Issued by
Tanvir Mahatab Abir
Senior Fact Checker,
Rumor Scanner Bangladesh
