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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Technology & AI fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about technology & ai. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

1,815 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYTechnology & AI

A recent news video of Republic TV reporting about the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media sites in India

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video presented as a recent Republic TV report about a ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media sites in India. FACTLY traced the video to an earlier Republic TV publication and found that it was not recent. The report was published on 26 May 2021, and its anchor discussed the possibility of platforms facing bans if they failed to meet newly announced intermediary guidelines—not an imposed ban. FACTLY says it searched the internet using relevant keywords and found the same video on Republic TV’s news channel, dated 26 May 2021. Its account of the video’s content is conditional: platforms could face bans if they failed to adhere to the guidelines. The review also notes that the regulations had been announced in February 2021 and that the government set 25 May 2021 as the compliance deadline. The review distinguishes that 2021 warning about possible consequences from the claim that a ban had recently been imposed. It states that the government had not imposed a ban on Facebook or WhatsApp. It also reports that Facebook said on 25 May 2021 that it aimed to comply with the IT rules while continuing discussions with the government. Thus, the video’s age and conditional wording undermine its presentation as recent news of an actual ban.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasTechnology & AI

WhatsApp envía una notificación si se realiza una captura de pantalla de la conversación.

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a viral image that appeared to show a WhatsApp alert saying someone had captured a conversation. The review investigated whether WhatsApp sends that kind of notification to the other participants in a chat. It reports that the image was circulating on Facebook, Instagram and X in August 2023, and that the app’s support team told the investigators WhatsApp did not have this functionality. The review describes two checks: its team tested screenshots in conversations shared among team members and received no notifications, and it contacted WhatsApp Support through the app’s chat. Support replied that WhatsApp did not offer the feature. The review also consulted WhatsApp’s information about “view once” media: that feature can limit screenshots of certain photos and videos, but the source says users are not notified if someone attempts a screenshot or screen recording even in that setting. The finding is specifically about notifications for screenshots of conversations; the article distinguishes that from safeguards for view-once media. It also notes that some social posts presented the image as a joke, while users in the same discussion continued treating it as real. The review’s conclusion is supported by the reported app tests and the response from WhatsApp Support, rather than by the image alone.