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The truth behind a ‘woke’ Instagram network Nov 28, 2020

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It sounds like a dream proposition. A company with a big online following messages you out of the blue, asking you to represent them as a “brand ambassador”.

They promise you a boost in Instagram followers, and a discount on their products. And they even promise to donate large sums to charity.

But take away the rosy filter, and the reality does not look quite so good. New followers aren’t guaranteed. And the products for sale are so vastly overpriced that even with the discount, you’re losing out.

And perhaps most ethically dubious of all, we’ve found a network of accounts making false or dubious claims about charity contributions.

The accounts pledge large chunks of their profits to environmental projects, racial justice, LGBT rights organisations and other progressive causes that many are passionate about. The word “woke” comes to mind.

But we’ve discovered that these accounts often fail when it comes to delivering the profits – and the goods for sale.

Presenter: Reha Kansara Reporter: Sean Allsop

Picture: Screenshot of a now-deleted account pledging charitable donations. Picture credit: Instagram/BBC

The roots of Donald Trump’s ‘voter fraud’ strategy Nov 21, 2020

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A Facebook group named Stop the Steal sprung up in the hours after the US presidential election. Within hours it had gained hundreds of thousands of followers. Members alleged the election had been “rigged”, despite a lack of evidence.

But this claim came from the very top. Months before, President Trump was planting seeds of doubt over the vote – mentioning “voter fraud” and similar phrases more than 70 times on Twitter.

BBC Trending looks into some of the most viral specific allegations – and we find out how “Stop the Steal” members kept pushing rumours built on disinformation.

Presenters: Marianna Spring and Mike Wendling

Picture: Protesters hold signs with the “Stop the Steal” slogan at a pro-Trump rally Credit: Getty Images

Doxxed and hacked In Hong Kong Nov 14, 2020

Show notes

The fight over democracy in Hong Kong continues. In the week that pro-democracy lawmakers resigned en masse in protest at the sacking of four of their colleagues, we take a look at the secretive struggles happening online.

Trade union leader Carol Ng was shocked to find her phone number and photo on a mysterious website – HK Leaks – which lists names and personal details of some 1,800 activists.

Who is behind the site? It appears to be hosted in Russia, but many believe it’s a smear campaign driven by the Chinese authorities.

Also featured on the site is Nathan Law, one of Hong Kong’s youngest-ever lawmakers. He fled to the UK in the wake of a new security law.

We meet him in London, where he tells us about “government backed” attempts to hack his online accounts, and also about his unique relationship with California’s social media giants.

Big tech appears to be standing shoulder to shoulder with the activists, and protecting them from government intrusion online – but that doesn’t mean the companies want to say much about it.

Facebook, Google and others have previously tried to court the Chinese government, in hopes of gaining access to an enormous new market. So this time around, are the firms acting out of nobility – or are there more strategic forces at play?

Presenter: Sam Judah

(Photo: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law. Credit: Getty Images)

How to be a social media star… without the internet Nov 07, 2020

Show notes

Wasil is well known for his funny, flirtatious satirical videos. But he also lives in Indian-administered Kashmir, which is arguably one of the least-connected places on earth. The internet is often cut off or slowed down to a trickle. It’s one of a number of measures the Indian government has taken to restrict information in the province. The government says the measures are necessary to clamp down on militants – but rights organisations call them a serious breach of civil liberties. For Wasil, it makes making and uploading content extremely difficult. Even worse, his career came to a crashing halt when the Indian government banned the app where he has his biggest following - TikTok. The longest continuous internet blackout in Kashmir began more than a year ago. So how is he coping?

Presenter: Reha Kansara (Photo: Wasil with the sun setting behind him, Credit: Wasi)l

Sex, monks and video fakes Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

Luon Sovath is a softly spoken Buddhist monk who has long been a thorn in the side of the Cambodian government. And now, he’s been targeted by a state-sponsored disinformation campaign.

Earlier this year, a series of mysterious videos appeared on Facebook, accusing him of having affairs with four women from the same family.

Soon after he was defrocked and charged with raping another woman, one who didn’t feature in the videos.

Luon Sovath denies all the allegations, and fled the country to go into exile in Switzerland. He and his supporters say he was the victim of an obvious smear campaign. Human rights organisations say the people responsible didn’t cover their tracks very well – and that officials operate with impunity in Cambodia.

Should Facebook have moved quicker to disrupt an online plot to destroy a powerful voice for the powerless?

Presenter: Reha Kansara Reporter: Ed Main

Photo: Luon Sovath in the Swiss countryside Photo credit: Luon Sovath

Help! My mum is a conspiracy influencer Oct 24, 2020

Show notes

What would you do if your mum became a conspiracy theory influencer?

Kate Shemirani is one of Twitter’s most popular anti-mask, anti-vaccine, anti-5G activists. She calls coronavirus a “plandemic” and a “scandemic”, makes the false claim that 5G radio waves cause the symptoms of the disease and even says, contrary to all the evidence, that the virus that causes Covid-19 doesn’t exist.

She’s built up a huge following on social media, speaks to rallies in London and encourages people to ignore guidelines on social distancing and mask wearing recommended by health authorities and written into law.

Her influence on public health has grown so much that one popular British newspaper recently asked: “Is this the most dangerous woman in Britain?”

But her son is worried that his mum has gone down the rabbit hole – and he’s sounding a warning for others who might be in the same situation.

Sebastian Shemirani describes how conspiracy theories always had a grip on his mother, but the coronavirus pandemic thrust her into the public eye. Conspiracy theories have torn the family apart – and now Sebastian has spoken exclusively to the BBC about the toll it has taken on him.

Plus we hear from experts about the right way to talk to friends and family members who are being drawn in by conspiracy theories.

Presented by Jonathan Griffin and Marianna Spring

Photo: Sebastian Shemirani

Photo credit: BBC

Disinfo wars and the all-American ‘troll farm’ Oct 17, 2020

Show notes

The 2016 US election was beset by so-called “fake news” – but what’s happening this time around?

Four years ago, fictitious and scandalous news articles emanating from Russian backed troll farms went viral. Some even claim it may have changed the course of the election.

Now a new disinformation battle is raging, but this time the game has changed. Instead of creating content overseas, a number of campaigns have been discovered enlisting American citizens in creating content designed to destabilise the political landscape.

That’s what happened to Colin Wood, a freelance writer from Binghamton, New York. He was delighted to start writing for a new left-wing website called PeaceData.

But as he soon learned, the site was being coordinated by people connected with Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the notorious troll farm responsible for much of the disinformation created in 2016.

The site’s editors turned out to be completely fictional, their social media profile photos generated by artificial intelligence.

And another disinformation campaign was unearthed, designed and coordinated entirely on US soil.

Turning Point, a right-wing lobby group, paid teenagers to systematically repost messages casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election.

Was the swift discovery of these networks a good news story? Or does it just show that disinformation is now an inextricable part of American politics?

Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Sam Judah

Picture credit: Getty Images

QAnon and the rabbit hole election Oct 10, 2020

Show notes

Millions of Americans are tuning into an alternative US election campaign. This one isn’t full of sobering news about the pandemic, the Supreme Court and the American economy – instead it’s filled with chatter about elite cabals, rumours and allegations of the most vile crimes.

The rabbit hole election is a subterranean campaign taking place online. And there's one conspiracy theory in particular that is spreading widely and is becoming increasingly well-known among voters: QAnon.

At its heart is the completely unfounded claim that Donald Trump is fighting a secret war against a “deep state” of satanic paedophiles. But could this unhinged idea actually have an impact on the upcoming election? We’ve been investigating.

Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Marianna Spring Producer: Ant Adeane

Did a state news agency troll its critics? Aug 08, 2020

Show notes

The people in charge wanted state-run news agency Notimex to become the “BBC of Mexico”. And after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was elected in 2018, he appointed people who took on that mission. But now the agency has been rocked by allegations that it targeted online abuse at former employees and critical independent journalists.

An investigation by three organisations alleges that people among the most senior Notimex executives orchestrated the use of fake accounts to attack people they didn’t like. We find out how the trolling campaigns worked, speak to people who have been at the receiving end of the messages, and even talk to someone who admits they were told to carry out orders from the top.

Presenter: Reha Kansara Producer: Marcos Martinez

Picture: Photo illustration of an anonymous troll Picture credit: Getty Images

Why do some influencers back bad products? Aug 01, 2020

Show notes

If you're on Instagram, you'll have seen influencers promoting all sorts of products - from gadgets to clothes or food. But can you really trust their recommendations? A BBC investigation found a number of top influencers pushing products that are fake and poor quality. There’s no evidence to suggest these social media stars knew they were openly promoting questionable brands and companies. And yet, many customers say the only reason why they bought these products was because influencers suggested they ought to. So should social media stars be held accountable for the promotional deals they make? We explore the dark underbelly of influencer marketing. Presenter: Marco Silva Reporter: Omar Mehtab Additional production: Osman Iqbal Picture caption: Stock photo of a social media influencer filming herself. Picture credit: Getty Images

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