Misinformation rise by 58pc in 2024: Dismislab

• Over 3,000 claims debunked
• Indian actors, pro-AL social media spreading misinformation
• Religious misinformation spike after Chinmoy arrest
• One-third misinfo political in nature
• Student advisers targeted

Fact-checking organisations in Bangladesh debunked 58 percent more content in 2024 compared to the previous year, with misinformation skyrocketing during August.

This is according to Dismislab's yearly roundup report, released yesterday. 

Fact-checkers identified and verified over 3,000 unique pieces of false or misleading information that went viral, the report said. 

The Awami League and its affiliated bodies topped the list of institutions or organisations whose names appeared in misinformation throughout 2024, while India topped the list of countries featured in such misinformation. 

Indian actors and pro-Awami League social media users were both prominent in spreading misinformation, the report found. 

A third of all misinformation spread was about politics, followed by religion. 

Disinformation related to communal tension and religious hatred had already been on the rise since August, but it took on a new dimension in November and December.

In December, a third of the fact-check reports published by fact-checking organisations about Bangladesh focused on religious topics. 

"On November 5, an anti-ISKCON Facebook post in the port city of Chittagong led to a clash, injuring seven police officers and five members of the army," said the report. 

On November 26, Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested on charges of sedition. This event triggered a spate of misinformation. 

"Several fake quotes attributed to Chinmoy Krishna Das were circulated using fake photocards in the name of mainstream media houses. Because Chinmoy was previously associated with ISKCON, false information about the organisation also circulated. For example, it was falsely claimed that weapons were recovered from the ISKCON temple in the eastern Bangladesh district of Sylhet, or that a supermarket and one of the leading inter-district transport companies had funded the group," the report added. 

In April 2024, as India entered its Lok Sabha elections, false claims of religious hatred and persecution spread on social media in both India and Bangladesh. 

After August 5, false information about minority attacks and communal tension spread, fuelling division and unrest, said the report. 

India giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina also led to a flurry of misinformation. 

"A number of claims went as far as to propagate that Indians have been employed in the Bangladesh police force or that a director of Bangladesh Bank is an Indian citizen. During the student movement, it was falsely claimed that the Indian army was entering Bangladesh or that Indian aircrafts were stationed at Bangladesh air bases," the report said.

After the fall of the Awami League government, false claims circulated that Indian soldiers were withdrawing from Bangladesh.

Indian mainstream media also spread false claims that the Pakistani army was patrolling in Bangladesh.

When a cargo ship from Pakistan arrived at a Bangladeshi port for the first time since 1971, fake news began spreading that the vessel was carrying weapons. 

The report said that all of this misinformation increased distrust on both sides of the border. 

Pro-Awami League social media users disseminated false information, claiming that the leaders and activists of BCL and Jubo League who attacked protesters with firearms were actually members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the report said. 

"One piece of misinformation after another hit social media concerning the three student leaders who took on advisory roles in the interim government -- Asif Mahmud, Nahid Islam, and Mahfuj Alam. In some cases, fake quotes attributed to them were circulated, while in other cases, attempts were made to portray them as members of Islamic militant organisations." 

After August 5, such users spread misinformation claiming that the interim government came to power by handing over St Martin's Island to the US. 

Old photos and videos of rallies by the Awami League were circulated to boost supporters' morale, and fake news was spread claiming that the High Court had overturned the ban on BCL.

During the floods in August, photos and videos of other organisations helping flood victims were circulated as Awami League relief distribution efforts, said the report. 

"On August 10, misinformation also spread about a clash between the army and Awami League party supporters in Gopalganj, Sheikh Hasina's ancestral hometown. Some social media posts claimed that over 60 people were killed in the army's attack, while others propagated that soldiers were celebrating after beating Awami League leaders and supporters," the report pointed out. 

The report also observed that it was falsely claimed Sheikh Hasina had filed a case against Yunus, accusing him of killing 500 police officers.