Here’s the thing about altered photos: They lie, and they lie, and they lie — a billion little times. 

A photograph circulating on social media shows superstar Taylor Swift holding a Trump flag on the red carpet before winning album of the year for an unprecedented fourth time at the Grammys Awards. The flag reads, "Trump won, Democrats cheated!" But it has been altered. 

More than 100 websites disguised as local news outlets in Europe, Asia and Latin America are pushing pro-China content in a widespread influence campaign linked to a Beijing public relations firm, digital watchdog Citizen Lab has found.

Spread over websites in 30 countries, the propaganda material is interspersed with news aggregated from local news outlets and Chinese state media, according to a research report the Toronto-based group released on Wednesday.

The Oregon secretary of state’s office used artificial intelligence in the 2022 election that flagged election fraud concerns as mis-, dis-, and malinformation (MDM) and may use it again this year, similar to how Arizona monitored online election information. The effort is already facing a lawsuit.

Oregon flagged election information online during the 2022 midterms, with an AI targeting concerns regarding mail-in ballots. Arizona also worked with social media companies to take down social media posts that allegedly contained election misinformation. 

Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets quarterback who recently implied that comedian Jimmy Kimmel had a nefarious connection with the late accused pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, would no longer be appearing on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” show this NFL season, its host said Wednesday.

McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski has said that the company’s business in the Middle East is being affected due to the war between Israel and Hamas and associated "misinformation" about the fast-food chain’s position on the conflict.

The world’s largest burger chain, as well as other top chains such as Starbucks, have become the target of boycotts over their perceived pro-Israeli stance and alleged financial ties to Israel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had other reasons for his most recent trip to the United States besides seeking more assistance in his country’s war against Russian aggression, according to various social media posts across Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The posts claim that Zelensky purchased a $20 million oceanside mansion in Vero Beach, Florida. Some even claim he also became a U.S. citizen.

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money.

Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.

It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts.

But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.

Warnings about NameDrop, a feature on Apple’s iOS 17 that allows users to share contact information, have spread like an annoying chain letter across police department Facebook pages over the past few days. These warnings were misleading, but social media posts about online threats to kids don’t have to be true to get views.

Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed thousands of children, according to Gaza's Hamas government. An image that social media posts say shows a Palestinian child trapped under rubble, however, actually appeared online at least eight months before the Gaza war, triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants against Israel on October 7. The image also bears visual irregularities that suggest it had been AI-generated, an expert told AFP.

NewsGuard on Wednesday afternoon dropped a report that found that 200 advertisements on the platform formerly known as Twitter from 86 prominent brands, governments, non-profits, and educational institutions showed up on feeds next to viral posts spouting misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war. Analysts studied 30 posts with a combined 92 million views by ten previously identified “repeated spreaders of misinformation about the conflict.” Some of the claims include that the Oct.