The Russian invasion of Ukraine: an avalanche of hoaxes and collaboration between fact-checkers to debunk them
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 triggered a new wave of disinformation. At Maldita we focused our efforts from day one on debunking the dozens of hoaxes that began to go viral in record time. After the first month since the invasion began, we had debunked almost 130 hoaxes, showing that this campaign has been one of the most extensive in terms of disinformation. Another of its characteristics is that these hoaxes mostly use photos and videos and move very easily from one platform to another.
From the beginning we detected that these hoaxes and pieces of disinformation were circulating all over the world, so why not collaborate with the more than 100 fact-checkers worldwide to create a global database? That is how #UkraineFacts was born, which has already debunked more than 1,000 hoaxes. In addition, on this map you can see how all this content has circulated across countries.
The disinformation shifted from focusing on old photos and videos shared as if they were current or videos with false subtitles to other formats that required applying techniques related to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). For this reason Maldita.es created ‘The O Team’ – O for OSINT – to investigate together with this community of Malditas and Malditos who share their superpowers and help provide context to videos and images related to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
In this evolution of hoaxes we also saw how some COVID-19 denialist groups turned into pro-Putin disinformers, and we studied how disinformation doubly victimizes people who are already suffering the consequences of the conflict. Of course, all these investigations and debunks have been published in the channels where disinformation circulates: through our compilations of hoaxes debunked on TikTok and through the Malditas Twitcherías, where we have also shared science and technology explanations about issues related to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
In addition to this, in 2021 we experienced several disinformation crises, such as the arrival of migrants in Ceuta in May 2021. The elections in the Community of Madrid also triggered a rise in hoaxes, as did the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma also generated a large amount of disinformation, and throughout this time we have continued debunking hoaxes about the coronavirus pandemic—especially disinformation and false claims about COVID-19 vaccines.
Factchequeado is launched to combat disinformation in Spanish in the United States
#UkraineFacts has not been the only alliance we have promoted this past year. Maldita.es (Spain) and Chequeado (Argentina) have joined forces to fight disinformation in Spanish in the United States. This is how Factchequeado.com was born.
Spanish-speaking communities in the United States are particularly vulnerable to disinformation, something that became very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most fact-checkers in the country verify information in English and rarely in Spanish, leaving this community more exposed to misleading content.
We believe that fighting this situation requires journalism that works as a public service—transparent, collaborative, innovative and high-quality. It also requires offering educational tools so that Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. can base their decisions on data and evidence rather than rumors and prejudice. Factchequeado.com was created precisely to build a community of Hispanics and Latinos that counters disinformation in Spanish in the United States.
The fight against disinformation in Europe
Fact-checkers monitor political, public and journalistic discourse so that hoaxes and disinformation do not mislead people or influence how we think and vote. But who monitors us? There are mechanisms designed to ensure that fact-checkers also do their work properly. We establish codes of good practice and ensure that others follow them.
For this purpose there is the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), but there is also a European self-regulatory code approved in 2018 and signed by major digital platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft. However, we believe this code is insufficient, so some time ago we considered creating a new one.
For this purpose the consortium European Fact-Checking Standards Project was created, led by Maldita.es, which will develop the European Code of Professional Integrity for Independent Fact-Checkers. Together with AFP (France), Correctiv (Germany), Demagog (Poland), Pagella Politica / Facta (Italy) and EU DisinfoLab (Belgium), we will use our experience and connections within the fact-checking and OSINT community to define the standards of independence, transparency and methodological and journalistic quality necessary to be recognized as independent fact-checking organizations in Europe.
Staying in Europe, in 2021 the Iberifier project also began. It is a consortium of researchers, fact-checkers and research centers from Spain and Portugal, including Maldita.es, which has created an Iberian observatory to monitor disinformation threats in the region.
A total of 23 institutions from both countries are part of this observatory supported by the European Commission, focusing its research on five lines of work related to combating disinformation.
We called on YouTube to take action against disinformation
Fact-checkers monitor platforms such as social networks where disinformation circulates and try to stop it with our debunks. But these platforms must also take measures against the lies that spread through their channels.
In the specific case of YouTube, we have seen how it plays a major role in the organization of coordinated networks spreading disinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic this became even more evident—not only in Spain but everywhere—where disinformers used the video platform to spread lies, build alliances and raise money.
That is why in January 2022 more than 80 fact-checking organizations from more than 40 countries, including Maldita.es, published an open letter to YouTube’s CEO asking for four measures: meaningful transparency about how disinformation spreads on the platform and public disclosure of the measures to address it; focusing on providing context instead of removing videos; acting against repeat offenders; and expanding these efforts to languages other than English.
Our intention is to make the platform a place where it is much more difficult for disinformation and misinformation to become weapons against users, and all signatories are willing to help YouTube implement these measures.
This year we received the European Press Prize!
As you can see, it has been an intense year, but we have also seen our work recognized. We have received several awards, and one of them made us especially proud. After being finalists for three years, we were awarded the European Press Prize.
Specifically, we won the European Press Prize in the innovation category for our WhatsApp chatbot (+34 644 229 319) designed to fight disinformation.
Our Maldito Dato section has also received several awards since the last International Fact-Checking Day: two GO! Civil Society Awards from the Valencia Provincial Council for bringing the Transparency Law closer to citizens; the Open Data Award from the Government of Castilla y León; and a special mention in the 2021 API Local Journalism Award.
Maldita Ciencia also received the Boehringer Ingelheim Award for Health Journalism and Communication for its Twitch broadcasts. Maldita Migración won the 2021 award from the Spanish Association for Human Rights (APDHE), and Maldita Educa received the PantallasAmigas award for its work in Media and Digital Literacy.
Community and superpowers: essential to making Maldita.es
All the work we have done and all these recognitions would not be possible without the support of our community of Malditos and Malditas. With you we detect, verify, debunk and spread the truth. And with your superpowers you help us dismantle lies.
If you are not yet part of our community, you can join here:
BECOME A MALDITO, BECOME A MALDITA
“Everyone has something—one or more areas in which they have very deep knowledge.” That is how well our Maldita Paula González, a cybersecurity expert, summed it up: all of you have knowledge that can be useful for Maldita.es. In this link you can see several Malditos and Malditas who have collaborated with us on more than one occasion presenting their superpowers.
Do you want to learn more about disinformation and verification?
At Maldita.es we believe that the best way to fight hoaxes is through education. That is why we have a section dedicated to media literacy, and in 2021 we launched a new website: the Maldita Educa website with all the educational resources to fight disinformation.
In our agenda you can see the events, courses, conferences and more in which we plan to participate. There is also a news section and, in the resources tab, you will find infographics, educational sheets, videos and games to learn (or teach) how to verify.
You can also access our Verification Toolbox with links for reverse image searches, video searches, advanced social media searches and geolocation.
Finally, in the 2021/2022 academic year the Maldita.es and URJC Master’s program began with the collaboration of seven media outlets.
These are some of the things we have done this year—many more remain untold… Don’t forget to join the Maldita Twitchería on April 5 to celebrate International Fact-Checking Day so we can tell you more about them.
Thank you all for being there with us for another year! Because together it is much harder for them to fool us.