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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

WhatsApp is going to charge users to use its premium features

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim concerned whether WhatsApp would charge users for premium features generally. The review distinguishes the regular WhatsApp app from WhatsApp Business: it says the subscription plan was an optional feature for some businesses, not a plan released to users of the regular app. To investigate, the review says it searched online using relevant keywords and found a report dated 06 October 2022 from WABetaInfo. As described in the review, that report concerned businesses using the latest Android or iOS beta and said eligible business accounts could choose to join the plan through a WhatsApp Premium section in settings. The review does not describe an independent test of the feature; it reports what WABetaInfo said. The reported premium features were a personalized business link and the ability to connect up to 10 devices to one account at the same time. The review says subscription fees could vary by country. Its key qualification is that the plan was for selected WhatsApp Business beta users, not users of the normal WhatsApp app. It also notes there were no reports of plans to charge regular users for ordinary texting, calling, or other regular services.

Vishvas NewsTechnology & AI

See what happened to the boy playing PUBG. … Stop giving mobile phones to children today, otherwise you will have to see such days in future.

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim attached to the video said that a boy’s condition was caused by playing PUBG and warned parents to stop giving children mobile phones. Vishvas News identifies the post as one shared on Facebook by পংকজ পাঠক (Acharya Pankaj Pathak), and reports that it was posted on April 10. Its conclusion is that the video does not show a boy suffering from PUBG addiction: the boy’s condition was described as malingering. To trace the footage, the review says it extracted keyframes using InVid and searched screenshots with Google Reverse Image Search. That led it to an ETVBharat report and an April 8 Times of India report about the same boy. The Times of India report said doctors rejected the PUBG explanation and described the case as malingering, involving a patient who may have intentionally pretended to act that way. Vishvas News also reports speaking with senior journalist P Sudhakar of The Hindu. He said the boy had first been admitted to Tirunelveli MCH and was later moved to a private hospital by parents unhappy with the diagnosis. Sudhakar said doctors had ruled out PUBG addiction and described the incident as malingering or a hysterical convulsion reaction. Thus, the review’s evidence contradicts the post’s asserted cause; it does not establish that mobile-phone use caused the boy’s symptoms.

FACTLYTechnology & AI

RBI Governor announced helpline numbers to reach out when someone loses their mobile phone. They can call these helplines and block digital payment apps like PhonePe, Paytm and Google Pay on their lost mobile phones

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a social-media video that appears to show RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announcing helpline numbers for people who have lost their phones to block digital payment apps. The review investigated whether the video’s speech was actually Das’s and whether he made such an announcement. It reports that its search for news reports of such an announcement found no credible information. The review traced the audio to a Facebook video by video creator Mausam Nagpal, titled “How to Block a Digital Wallet 🔥 Helpline number for PHONE PE.” It says Nagpal’s voice and words match the audio in the viral post. Separately, the review identified footage matching the post in a 2021 video on the Reserve Bank of India’s YouTube channel, “Address by Shri Shaktikanta Das, RBI Governor.” The review’s account therefore describes the viral post as combining the Governor’s footage with Nagpal’s audio, rather than documenting a real helpline announcement by Das. It also reports that PIB fact-checked the video and said the voice did not belong to the Governor. The evidence presented addresses the video’s provenance and the attribution of its speech; it does not establish that the apps can be blocked by calling those numbers.