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11-14-2017, 03:15 PM
'Fake news' isn't just a U.S. problem — it's everywhere
https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/af5WsNSstJ5RJUQoA6CmPrk3AQ4=/575x323/filters:quality(90)/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fima ge%2F646463%2Fb98823e3-b009-44c1-9567-f2b053983069.jpghttps://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-tw-e71baf64f2ec58d01cd28f4e9ef6b2ce0370b42fbd965068e9 e7b58be198fb13.jpg (https://twitter.com/share?via=Mashable&text=%27Fake+news%27+isn%27t+just+a+U.S.+problem+% E2%80%94+it%27s+everywhere&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2017%2F11%2F14%2Ff ake-news-freedom-house-report%2F)https://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-fb-8e3bd31e201ea65385a524ef67519d031e6851071807055648 790d6a4ca77139.jpg (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2017%2F11 %2F14%2Ffake-news-freedom-house-report%2F&src=sp)
Before the election, few Americans had heard of "fake news."*
Now, they're all too aware: of the Russia-linked Facebook accounts that reached 126 million people (http://mashable.com/2017/10/30/facebook-russian-trolls-126-million/), the deranged PizzaGate (http://mashable.com/2016/12/05/pizzagate-explained/) conspiracy, and the teens in Macedonia spreading lies to make an easy buck (https://www.wired.com/2017/02/veles-macedonia-fake-news/).*
If you thought this was just an American problem, you're wrong. In at least 17 other countries, fake news "played an important role" in recent elections, according to a new report from democracy watchdog Freedom House.*
SEE ALSO: Experts don't know if the fake news problem will get more or less awful (http://mashable.com/2017/10/19/future-of-fake-news-survey/)
In a deeply divided Kenya, false reports labeled with CNN and BBC logos spread across Facebook and WhatsApp (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/31/africa/kenya-election-fake-news/index.html) leading up to the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Nicolas Maduro's power grab (https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/30/540472340/several-countries-reject-venezuelas-election-to-rewrite-constitution) in Venezuela involved the government spreading false footage and lies about protesters on social media. And Facebook suspended 30,000 fake accounts (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-security-facebook/facebook-cracks-down-on-30000-fake-accounts-in-france-idUSKBN17F25G) only 10 days before the French presidential election. Read more... (http://mashable.com/2017/11/14/fake-news-freedom-house-report/)
More about Facebook (http://mashable.com/category/facebook/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Russia (http://mashable.com/category/russia/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Fake News (http://mashable.com/category/fake-news/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Tech (http://mashable.com/tech/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), and Big Tech Companies (http://mashable.com/category/big-tech-companies/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial)http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Mashable/~4/KssR34XsC0E
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Before the election, few Americans had heard of "fake news."*
Now, they're all too aware: of the Russia-linked Facebook accounts that reached 126 million people (http://mashable.com/2017/10/30/facebook-russian-trolls-126-million/), the deranged PizzaGate (http://mashable.com/2016/12/05/pizzagate-explained/) conspiracy, and the teens in Macedonia spreading lies to make an easy buck (https://www.wired.com/2017/02/veles-macedonia-fake-news/).*
If you thought this was just an American problem, you're wrong. In at least 17 other countries, fake news "played an important role" in recent elections, according to a new report from democracy watchdog Freedom House.*
SEE ALSO: Experts don't know if the fake news problem will get more or less awful (http://mashable.com/2017/10/19/future-of-fake-news-survey/)
In a deeply divided Kenya, false reports labeled with CNN and BBC logos spread across Facebook and WhatsApp (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/31/africa/kenya-election-fake-news/index.html) leading up to the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Nicolas Maduro's power grab (https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/30/540472340/several-countries-reject-venezuelas-election-to-rewrite-constitution) in Venezuela involved the government spreading false footage and lies about protesters on social media. And Facebook suspended 30,000 fake accounts (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-security-facebook/facebook-cracks-down-on-30000-fake-accounts-in-france-idUSKBN17F25G) only 10 days before the French presidential election. Read more... (http://mashable.com/2017/11/14/fake-news-freedom-house-report/)
More about Facebook (http://mashable.com/category/facebook/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Russia (http://mashable.com/category/russia/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Fake News (http://mashable.com/category/fake-news/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), Tech (http://mashable.com/tech/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial), and Big Tech Companies (http://mashable.com/category/big-tech-companies/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial)http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Mashable/~4/KssR34XsC0E