In disaster aftermath, Nepal battles a flood of misinformation
Summary
Nepal is battling a surge of fake, manipulated and AI-generated videos and images after the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Fact-checkers and the Press Council say the false content is worsening confusion, panic and cruelty online during rescue efforts.
Key Points
- Social media has been flooded with misleading disaster footage after the Bhotekoshi floods, including recycled clips, manipulated images and AI-generated videos.
- A Facebook video falsely attributed to Nepal was traced to a tunnel rescue operation in Uttarakhand, India, while other viral clips were also debunked as artificial or unrelated to Nepal.
- The Nepal Press Council has ordered users to remove inappropriate content and opened a complaints portal that received 101 complaints by Saturday evening.
- Fact-checkers and journalists warn that misinformation, amplified by social media algorithms and an information vacuum, is complicating rescue efforts and deepening distress for victims and families.
