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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

dpaTechnology & AI

Le compte Twitter d'une présentatrice du journal télévisé de France 2 a été désactivé après une interview avec Elon Musk.

Publisher’s rating: Non, Elon Musk n'a pas suspendu le compte Twitter d'Anne-Sophie Lapix à la suite de cette interview. C'est la journaliste elle-même qui a fermé son compte en mars 2020. Le compte suspendu mentionné sur les réseaux sociaux utilise le même pseudo qu'Anne-Sophie Lapix, mais il s'agit bien d'un compte différent.

The claim linked a suspended Twitter account shown online to Anne-Sophie Lapix’s interview with Elon Musk on France 2. The article reports that Musk gave the interview after appearing at the VivaTech technology event in Paris on June 16, 2023; it aired three days later during the channel’s 8 p.m. news. Lapix questioned him about hate speech on Twitter, and he disputed her suggestion that it was increasing. Afterward, users circulated an image of an account using her handle and displaying a suspension notice, attributing the suspension to Musk. The investigation found that the apparent match was a username, not the same account. Lapix told Libération the suspension claim was false and said she had closed her account three years earlier. The article also reports that she had announced the closure in an interview with Le Parisien in March 2020, following a wave of online abuse after a live report with then-prime minister Édouard Philippe. Thus, the account’s displayed status did not establish that Musk had suspended Lapix’s account after the 2023 interview. To distinguish the accounts, the article describes consulting archived records and checking the account’s unique ID, with technology specialist Victor Baissait. The archives showed no profile after Lapix’s closure announcement until at least February 2022; Baissait found that the ID had changed. The article concludes that the suspended account reused her handle but had a different ID, so it was a different account—not evidence that Musk had suspended Lapix’s own account.

Belarusian Investigative CenterTechnology & AI

Украина потребовала от Илона Маска удалить твиттер американского ведущего

Publisher’s rating: Единственный, кто писал про Маска, — Михаил Подоляк, советник главы Офиса. 7 июня он назвал абсурдом предложение бизнесмена посмотреть передачу Такера Карлсона, где тот утверждает, что только Украине был выгоден взрыв на Каховской ГЭС. Но никаких ультиматумов Маску он не выдвигал.

dpaTechnology & AI

Alex Soros zette zijn visie over de toekomst van het internet uiteen in een interview met de Wall Street Journal: hij wil conservatieven censureren en zegt “honderd keer erger” te zijn dan zijn vader George Soros.

Publisher’s rating: Nee, de uitspraken staan niet in het artikel van Wall Street Journal. Noch zijn ze elders terug te vinden. Alexander Soros sprak tegenover Wall Street Journal überhaupt niet over het internet en zei juist te vinden dat vrije meningsuiting momenteel te beperkt is.

FACTLYTechnology & AI

Indian Government has decided to ban Instagram

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a viral breaking-news graphic saying India would ban Instagram because of overuse by teenagers under 18. FACTLY investigated whether the claimed ban was supported by credible reporting or official information, rather than treating the graphic itself as proof. Its searches found no credible news reports supporting a ban and no supporting information on government websites or Meta’s website, which FACTLY identifies as Instagram’s parent company. The graphic displayed the logo of 1st India News. FACTLY says it searched for an original post or article from that outlet containing the graphic but did not find one. It did, however, report that 1st India News clarified on Twitter on 16 June 2023 that its breaking-news template had been edited to create the graphic and that its legal team was investigating. This is direct evidence that the graphic was altered, not an authentic announcement from the news outlet. FACTLY also noted that Instagram remained accessible in India at the time of its investigation. Taken together, the absence of corroborating official or credible reporting, the outlet’s statement that its template had been edited, and the reported continued accessibility of Instagram contradict the claim that the government had decided to ban the service.

dpaTechnology & AI

L'Ukraine a donné 72 heures à Elon Musk pour supprimer le compte Twitter de l’ancien animateur de Fox News Tucker Carlson.

Publisher’s rating: Ces allégations ne se basent sur aucune preuve tangible. Rien ne soutient l’idée que les autorités ukrainiennes aient formulé de telles menaces auprès d’Elon Musk. En dehors des publications sur les réseaux sociaux, seuls quelques médias russes rapportent cet incident présumé, sans toutefois fournir aucune preuve pour étayer leurs affirmations.

The claim concerned an alleged Ukrainian 72-hour ultimatum to Elon Musk to remove Tucker Carlson’s Twitter account. Posts said it followed the first episode of Carlson’s new show on Twitter and attributed the threat, in some versions, to a statement from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office. The review found no evidence that Ukrainian authorities had made such a threat; it said the allegation appeared on social media and in some Russian media, which did not provide supporting evidence. The investigation describes several checks. It found that the statement attributed to Zelensky’s office could not be located, and that the president’s website—which, according to the review, relays his official statements—had no recent information about Musk or Carlson. A Google search and a check of Musk’s Twitter account likewise produced no evidence for the alleged message. The review also says dpa sought responses from Ukraine’s foreign ministry and Musk’s spokespeople through Twitter’s press office, but had received no response by the time the article was written. These checks do not establish that no private communication could have occurred; they show that the review found no public evidence supporting the circulating claim. The timing helps explain the rumor without confirming it. Carlson’s first Twitter episode appeared on the evening of June 6, 2023, and discussed the Kakhovka dam’s destruction, which occurred that day. Carlson accused Ukraine, while the review said responsibility had not been established with certainty and that Kyiv and Moscow blamed one another. The review identified a related but distinct event: Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak publicly criticized Musk for giving Carlson’s program attention. It found no evidence that this criticism was an ultimatum to remove Carlson’s account.

dpaTechnology & AI

Zelensky heeft Elon Musk 72 uur gegeven om het Twitter-account van Tucker Carlson te verwijderen.

Publisher’s rating: De beweringen zijn uit de lucht gegrepen. Er is geen bewijs dat Zelensky, noch diens regering, officieel dergelijke dreigingen naar Musk gestuurd hebben. Naast sociale media wordt alleen in enkele Russische nieuwsmedia over het vermeende voorval bericht, zonder bewijsmateriaal aan te voeren.

The allegation was that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave Elon Musk 72 hours to remove Tucker Carlson’s Twitter account, with serious consequences threatened if Musk did not comply. The review traces the claim in the Netherlands to a tweet posted on June 8 and says the same allegation was also circulating in English. It reports that some Russian online outlets presented the story as fact, but did not cite concrete evidence. The review looked for evidence of the alleged official message. It says the supposed statement to Musk could not be found, and that the Ukrainian president’s official website had no recent news about Musk or Carlson. The review also reports that searches of Google and Musk’s Twitter account yielded no indication that Musk had received such a message. Dpa contacted Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and Elon Musk through Twitter’s press center; neither had responded by the time of the review. These checks do not establish that no private communication could exist, but the review found no substantiation for the reported ultimatum. The article describes a possible source of the rumor’s context, not proof of an ultimatum: Carlson’s June 7 show discussed the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and included manipulated footage of a meeting between Senator Lindsey Graham and Zelensky. Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak criticized Musk for promoting Carlson’s show in a tweet about the dam. The review says this was the only link it found between Ukrainian officials, Musk, and Carlson’s recent video; it found no evidence that Zelensky threatened Musk.

فکت‌نامهTechnology & AI

تاکتیک‌ها، تکنیک‌ها و رویه‌های گروه‌های هکری مخرب وابسته به حکومت جمهوری اسلامی ایران

Publisher’s rating: مایکروسافت در سال ۲۰۲۲ میلادی، ۲۴ عملیات نفوذ سایبری منحصربه‌فرد را به حکومت ایران نسبت داده که ۱۷ مورد در نیمه دوم سال رخ داده‌اند. در سال قبل (۲۰۲۱) که تنها هفت حمله توسط هکرهای ایرانی انجام شده‌بود.

FACTLYTechnology & AI

China developed a mobile drone toilet that can be summoned at any time for immediate use

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

FACTLY examined a social-media post claiming that China had developed a mobile toilet carried by drone and available on demand. Its review distinguishes the image in the post from evidence that such a service or device had actually been developed or deployed. It reports that the image was not a genuine photograph but an AI-generated representation. (S1: “An image resembling a potential drone toilet unit is circulating on social media with a claim that China has developed a drone mobile toilet that can be summoned at any time for immediate use.”; “This image is not real but generated by AI using Mid Journey software.”) To investigate whether the claimed technology existed, the review says it searched Chinese media outlets for reports or discussion of a drone-toilet unit. It reports finding none that substantiated the device. It also notes a distinction relevant to the claim: reports did describe drones delivering goods, food and toilet paper, but the review found no evidence of drones being used as toilets. Thus, evidence of drone deliveries does not establish that a mobile toilet was developed or could be summoned. (S1: “we were unable to find any media reports or discussions that substantiated the existence of a drone toilet.”; “we found no evidence or reports indicating the implementation of drone toilets in any context.”) The review identifies digital artist Jyo John Mulloor as the source of the image set: it says he shared the viral image and more than 30 other drone-toilet images on Facebook on 15 May 2023, and explicitly described them as AI-generated with Midjourney. The evidence therefore supports the conclusion that the circulated image was an artistic AI depiction, not proof that China had built the claimed on-demand toilet. (S1: “On 15 May 2023, along with the current viral image, he also shared over 30 images of drone toilet units on his Facebook page.”; “he explicitly stated that these images were generated using an artificial intelligence program called Midjourney.”)

Factcrescendo Sri LankaTechnology & AI

Drone-Operated Mobile Toilets In China!

Publisher’s rating: False

The review examined viral photographs said to show a Chinese “flying mobile toilet” that could be sent to people using drone technology and a mobile app. It reports that the images circulated on Facebook and other social platforms, with the concept described as “UBER Toilets.” The review’s conclusion concerns the purported Chinese product shown in those images, not the separate use of drones to transport ordinary goods. To check the claim, the review says it looked for mainstream-media reports of a recent Chinese drone-operated toilet and found none. It then performed a reverse-image search, which led it to identify the pictures as AI-generated. The review traced the images to a creator presenting the concept as “Shattle” and says the creator made other mobile-drone-toilet images with Midjourney. That provenance is the central evidence against treating the viral pictures as photographs of a real product or prototype. The review also distinguishes the images from real drone-delivery activity: it mentions drones carrying consumer items, including toilet paper, during the COVID pandemic, but says it found no successful real-world project involving drone-powered mobile toilets. Its conclusion is specifically that the viral posts claiming China had produced such a toilet were fabricated and that the images were AI-created.

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaTechnology & AI

ජංගම ඩ්‍රෝන වැසිකිළි ලෙස හුවමාරු වූ, කෘතීම බුද්ධියෙන් (AI) නිර්මාණය කළ ඡායාරුප පෙළක්!

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim is that China developed a mobile toilet that flies using drone technology, with images shared online as evidence. Fact Crescendo reports that the posts described the toilet as available for delivery to any person and location. The investigation specifically checked whether the images showed a real Chinese product and whether such a flying toilet had been developed. The review says it first looked for mainstream-media reporting that China had recently made such a device, but found none. It then reverse-image-searched the circulated image. According to the review, the search traced it to an AI-generated concept called “Shattle,” intended to depict technologically enabled sanitation for the future. The review also says the creator posted other similar mobile-drone-toilet designs made using Midjourney, an AI image-generation tool. The review’s conclusion is that the images do not establish the existence of a Chinese drone-operated mobile toilet: it identifies the image as AI-generated and calls the posts claiming China had built the device false. The excerpt does not provide independent technical testing of a physical prototype; its stated basis is the lack of mainstream reporting it found and the image-search provenance it describes.