How the hoax of the “Plan demic” video became viral

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, large social platforms have usually been intervening in spreading false alarms faster than usual. I’ve seen Facebook, Google and Twitter add various labels. warning, And links to high-quality news sources and public health organizations. And most of the time, the most stupid theory about a new coronavirus is President of the United States, In that case, well.

However, some cracks are beginning to appear. During February, A strange and almost incomprehensible set of theories It started spreading to YouTube and Facebook, claiming that the 5G cellular network played a role in spreading the virus. And last week, we saw the emergence of the first true hit conspiracy video of the COVID-19 era. This is called a “plandemic,” and, like many conspiracy videos, claims that the elite’s yin conspiracy covers global crises, profits and roots their power. .. This is Davy Alba In New York Times:

In a 26-minute video, a woman, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a coronavirus guru Dr. Forti, studies a study of how vaccines damage people’s immune systems. Claimed how it was buried. She declared a weakened immune system that made people more susceptible to diseases like Covid-19.

The video was immediately seized by anti-vaccinated people, conspiracy group QAnon, and Reopen America movement activists in a long suspicious documentary scene called “Plandemic”, recording over 8 million views. And it turned Dr. Judy Mikowitz, 62, an untrustworthy scientist, into a new star of viral disinformation.

Uploading “Plandemic” had over 8 million views across social platforms and one version of YouTube played 7 million times before it was removed. It would be more than enough to put close Top of youtube trend page — As many views as This video of an influencer practicing an apology (8.6 million), but still 3 days Official music video For 6ix9ine “Gooba” (103 million people).

Still, this video seems to have a long way to go to look like this generation Loose change.. The video, which falsely portrayed 9/11 as an elaborate false flag operation, generated millions of views after being delivered to YouTube and local Fox TV affiliates for free, and even more. 9/11 Truth Movement..

I accept that some people post very stupid and harmful things on the free and open internet. A “plandemic” is definitely harmful. Among other things, it falsely tells people that wearing a mask “activates” the virus. But in the past, very silly and harmful things often benefited from algorithmic promotions. It is displayed in the top search results, trend pages, and recommended widgets. The platform is used to recruit followers for terrible causes without knowing that.

But after years of pressure, the platform began to detect malicious posts and videos and began to improve detection. You can now catch more bad things before you reach the trend page. YouTube has a whole team that monitors this in real time. My head was scratched because of “Plandemic”. How did this become viral?

Sowing the ground with a book “Plandemic” star Mikovits released last month. Plague of decay “Build Dr. Mikowitz as a deception that fights true narrators in science,” Alba wrote. Epoch Times, Gateway Pundit, and Next News Network.

But what made Mikovits starred was a clip of “Plandemic” (she has over 130,000 Twitter followers a month). And the two have benefited each other. The search for Mikovits facilitated views of “Plandemic” and viewing of “Plandemic”. “Promoted the search for Mikowitz.

Social media researcher Erin Gallagher, who specializes in visualizing data, provides some clues. Gallagher used CrowdTangle, a tool owned by Facebook that analyzes public posts. Investigate when “Plandemic” began to surge on the network.. She found that the posts that referenced it most often appeared on Facebook groups devoted to QAnon, misinformation about anti-vaccines, and conspiracy theory in general.

“The video has spread from YouTube to Facebook, thanks to a very active QAnon and Facebook group related to conspiracy, tens of thousands of members have caused a massive cascade.” Both platforms are viral medical mistakes. It helped disseminate information. “

Both YouTube and Facebook eventually deleted the video, but their reaction was significantly different. I talked to the representatives of both companies today and here is what I learned.

On Facebook, it was demoted before “Plandemic” was removed. Relegation is a step that Facebook takes for posts that seem bad for some reason but are not actively considered harmful. Maybe you posted an image where someone is almost naked but almost naked. Maybe you suggested that people act violently and then go out without saying it. From 2018 Facebook has intervened in efforts to prevent the spread of these types of posts as part of an effort to reduce the appeal of posting so-called “borderline content.”

At first I’m not exactly sure how I modified “Plandemic” as border content, but a spokesman said due to the length of the video (26 minutes) and the many claims made in it. Said it brought a lot of work to the fact-checking team. (The lie can reach half of the world before the truth ties its shoes.) Facebook finally says, “Plandemic” “re-infects itself” by people wearing masks I’ve decided that I have to make the false claim that I can, but it’s really a shame the confusion over wearing masks — some of those generated by public health organizations — was wary of the company.

On YouTube, the company watched some videos related to “Plandemic,” flagged and removed them, and the 26-minute clip became famous. The clip was uploaded on May 4th and deleted on May 6th. During that time, there were 7.1 million playbacks. According to the company, the majority of these viewings come from external sites and are linked directly rather than being watched anywhere on YouTube. Gallagher’s analysis suggests that a significant number of these clicks were made directly from Facebook. (YouTube does not comment on this.)

According to YouTube, YouTube didn’t recommend “Plandemic” or show it “prominently” in search results, so it didn’t show it on the first page. Please search now. Pop-ups from independent fact checkers and many videos of doctors overturning their claims..

Facebook continued to see people uploading other clips from “Plandemic” and told me they were sharing fact-finding information from their partners. As Fact Checker continues to evaluate other parts of “Plandemic”, the distribution of these other clips (clips without mask bits) is temporarily reduced. People are also continuing to post modified versions of the originals (recording on mobile phones, adding comments) and Facebook is hunting them down.

There is a reassuring view of all this. Both companies saw the bad and put a team of fact checkers on it and removed it from the network relatively quickly. (This is more than Amazon says. Plague of decay Here are the top 10 bestsellers today. Facebook and YouTube may have been faster or more fully acting, but that doesn’t mean that “Plandemic” hasn’t gone unnoticed. YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users, and Facebook has 1.73 billion users per day across its app suite. At that scale, 8 million people just can’t see much within 48 hours. (And, if you think so, perhaps the problem with these companies could be their size, and you might have been interested in Elizabeth Warren’s presidential election.)

However, there are some dark perspectives to consider. When Facebook announced it would focus on building services for smaller, more private groups, critics pointed out that this would likely make it difficult to crack down on false information. This is especially true for WhatsApp chats, which are encrypted end-to-end. But that also applies to private Facebook groups, where the “plan demic” appears to have been actively shared.

Becoming a blockbuster will not be the last piece of harmful misinformation about COVID-19. And don’t be surprised that the road to virality goes straight through Facebook groups when the following issues arise:

Formal apology to British people

On thursday, Repeatedly used “England” when it was necessary to refer to the entire kingdom in connection with an app being developed by the Digital Division of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It’s a bit confusing because there are actually four national health services in the UK, but I’ve heard that the NHSX app is actually available to everyone. I apologize to the British people!

ratio

In today’s news, it can affect public perception of the Big Tech platform.

Soaring: Snap chat Announced new efforts to help people affected by domestic violence during the outbreak of COVID-19.. The company offers in-app resources as part of a broader Here For You initiative. (Fried ina / Axios)

Soaring: Jack Dorsey $ 10 million reformCriminal Justice Nonprofit Organization Founded by Meek Mill, Michael Rubin, Jay-Z.. Money is used to send personal protective equipment to prisons across the United States.

Soaring: twitter Add labels and warnings to tweets that contain misleading information about COVID-19.. The label will include a link to more information if there is no risk of harm enough to delete the Tweet. (Elizabeth Califord / Reuters)

Soaring: Amazon Funds a series of projects to stop the spread of COVID-19.. The company funds clinical trials of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients and provides home-based coronavirus testing to UK healthcare workers. (Erin Brodwin / STAT)

Virus tracker

Total number in the US: 1,346,800 or more

Total deaths in the US: At least 80,000

Cases reported in California: 68,389

Total test results in California (positive and negative): 955,664

Cases reported in New York: 342,317

Total test results in New York (positive and negative): 1,182,998

Cases reported in New Jersey: 139,945

Total test results in New Jersey (positive and negative): 312,447

Cases reported in Massachusetts: 77,793

Massachusetts Total Test Results (Positive and Negative): 388,389

Data from New York Times.. COVID tracking project test data..

Governance

⭐ Michigan Conspirators are Private Facebook Group promoting violence against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.. They also rally armed rallies to protest her socially distant orders. Steve Nive Ring Detroit Metro Times:

The comments are particularly worrisome, as some of the violent people plan to attend an armed rally at the Houses of Parliament in Lansing on Thursday. On April 30, hundreds of protesters, some of them heavily armed, Offspring in the State Capitol During the “American Patriot Rally” period, there were protesters armed as part of “Operation Lansing” on April 15. A two-day rally is also planned on weekends.

“If we wanted, we could have taken over the capital last time,” said Chris Coffey. “This was just a display. Not next time!”

“If she thinks the last protest is bad, she hasn’t seen anything yet,” warned Donna Cookie Grady.

“There is no bloodshed yet, but the population was counted as 3 and the other day it was 2”, writes Dave Meisenheimer. Michigander against excessive quarantine, With over 385,000 members. “Next, I will water the Freedom Tree with the blood of the tyrant.”

⭐ Elon Musk Resuming Tesla’s Alameda County’s Hopeless California Car Factory.. This move violates local shelter in-place orders. Tesla began manufacturing cars on the weekend and told all employees that it had set out to prepare to return to work. (Sean O’Kane / brink)

The Lincoln Project is a super PAC run by the opposing Republicans. President Playing cards,Asked Facebook Remove warning label attached to group’s blistering “Mourning in America” ​​ad.. The warnings indicate that there is some misinformation in the ad, ripping Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Schwartz / CNBC)

Smartphone data shows out-of-state visitors flocked to Georgia when restaurants and other businesses resumed.. The news provides some of the first solid evidence that reopening some state economies ahead of others could exacerbate and prolong the spread of new coronaviruses. (Catherine Shaver / Washington Post)

The World Health Organization has released an app that allows people in resource-poor countries to assess whether they have COVID-19.. Organizations are also looking at Bluetooth-based contact tracking capabilities. How would it work without it? (Paresh Dave / Reuters)

The contact tracking app is intended to help health authorities track COVID-19 infections and notify exposed users... But this technique is far from perfect. (Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal)

Singapore deploys Boston Dynamics robots in public parks to encourage people to follow social distance guidelines.. The robot broadcasts a message reminding visitors that they need to stay away from other humans. Here’s a really unusual dystopian atmosphere. (Matt Novak / Gizmodo)

twitter The Chinese government pushed back the U.S. State Department’s allegations that it “probably” adjusted the network of accounts to push the coronavirus conspiracy theory... The company said the initial review of the account in question did not support the government’s claims, but an investigation is still in progress. (Jennifer Hansler, Donnie Sullivan, Kylie Attwood / CNN)

Technical labor activist Facebook And zoom To avoid company oversight.. The result is a new kind of movement. One has traditional organizing DNA, but is unique to the tech era. (Sara Emerson / OneZero)

WeChat Carefully monitor non-Mainland China users to censor users within borders.. If the content turns out to be sensitive, the app will add it to an internal blacklist to allow Chinese users to censor the content in real time. (Eva Xiao / Wall Street Journal)

The United States has not yet repaired basic security flaws in the country’s election infrastructure since Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.. Now, months before the 2020 elections, the door is open for Putin to pull the same trick again. (Franklin Fore / Atlantic)

The former Google James Damore, an engineer who sued the company in 2018 for discriminating against conservative white men, asked the court to dismiss the suit... Google also participated in the written request. (Kim Lions / brink)

Microsoft And Amazon Exchange Pentagon JEDI Contract Duel Blog Posts.. Amazon is fighting DoD’s decision to give Microsoft a contract. (Ron Miller / TechCrunch)

News organizations have long wanted technology platforms to pay for news.. Currently, Australian and French regulators are working to make that happen. (Ben Smith / New York Times)

industry

⭐ Companies are installing thermal scanners in anticipation of employees returning to work in a coronavirus pandemic.. However, the scanner is not medical and experts warn that COVID-19 infections cannot actually be detected. By Drew Harwell Washington Post Explanation:

The system can sense high skin temperatures, but it is not accurate enough to determine if someone has a fever. The warmth of a person’s skin is often quite different from the central body heat. People with build, health, and hot flashes can trigger system alarms. So anyone can walk in from a hot car or parking lot.

Many people with covid-19 infections do not actually have a fever: Head of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Said last month It means that 25% of infected people show no symptoms at all. In February, virus researchers said their stealth ability to keep up with the virus during the epidemic Quote Screening techniques similar to the heat scan will miss more than half of the infected.

Silicon Valley offices remain unchanged after coronavirus epidemic.. Open office plans and shared lunches will be a thing of the past. (Puriya Anand / Bloomberg)

Apple U.S. retailers will resume operations for a limited time this week.. Due to the epidemic of COVID-19, stores have been closed since mid-March. (Chris Welch / brink)

Shanghai Disneyland Resume with mandatory face mask and social distance.. The park also limits the number of people that can be visited each day to about 30 percent of the normal capacity. (James Vincent / brink)

Wayo Testing of self-driving cars will resume in Arizona on May 11... However, some of the company’s backup drivers are worried that the company may rush to resume service. (Andrew J. Hawkins / brink)

Workers of Amazon’s A warehouse in Egan, Minnesota says six colleagues were afraid to report to the workplace after recently testing positive for COVID-19... They are worried that retail giants are not enough to protect them. (Mukta M. Ibrahim / Sahan journal)

Amazon’s Rivals Benefit From Company Delays And Labor Insecurity.. E-commerce companies such as Shopify and Warfair have grown dramatically faster than the tech giants. (Kimte / Bloomberg)

Opportunists are trying to find a way to withdraw money Instacart Shopper.. One scheme is suspicious that an intermediary could allow a worker to change the shopper’s account to work in a particular store in exchange for thousands of dollars. (Joseph Cox / Vice)

Hip-hop artists are in control Instagram Live as people tune in to a virtual concert from their apartment.. Rappers and producers have turned this space into nightclubs, variety shows, history lessons, talent shows and more. (John Karamanica / New York Times)

Professional network zoom In the coronavirus pandemic.. Some are prosperous, others are depressed. (Ancadet / Wall Street Journal)

Boston bookstores curate people’s bookshelves with a carefully selected assortment for display during video conferences.. genius. (Steve Annor / Boston Grove)

Members take over Tick.. The famous meme brand has invested heavily in video sharing apps and has attracted millions of followers. (Taylor Lorenz / New York Times)

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) is playing Animal Forest.. She also temporarily made the DM publicly available. This allowed any of the 6.8 million followers to offer her an invitation to Animal Crossing Island. (Gene Park / Washington Post)

Eric Schmid, Former CEO Google, Is no longer a company advisor.. His departure ended his 19-year tenure at Google where he was hired as the “adult director” of the company’s young founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. (Richard Nieba / CNET)

China closed movie theaters to stop the spread of the virus, making a big difference to China’s entertainment industry.. Currently, hundreds of millions are watching blockbuster movies on mobile phones. (Rebecca Davis and Patrick Freiter / variety)

Facebook Finally, we started to publish the redesigned desktop website to all users.. Mark Zuckerberg announced the first redesign at the 2019 F8 conference. (Igor Bonifacic / Engadget)

Things to do

What to occupy online during quarantine.

“Pan decorate” your home! It’s all anger.

Let’s say you order JetBlue cheese and a snack tray and go on a business trip across old countries... Or read this article and donate Your local food bank, Perhaps.

Give you zoom Choose from over 100 empty sets from the BBC archive to meet your makeover..

Recreate your favorite bar in virtual reality or read about who created it..

Watch Hood Internet mash up 50 top chart pop songs of various years into a rowdy 3 minute banger.. They’ve done a lot in the 1980s so far, but the 1990s don’t come to me very soon.

Talk to Randy Zuckerberg about how the pandemic has changed the perception of technology companies.

And finally…

Talk to us

Send us tips, comments, questions, and false claims about the origin of COVID-19: [email protected] And [email protected]..