Topic

Science

True False
Misleading

Claim: Several popular social media pages shared variations of the claim that said, according to a US study, “You will die seven years earlier if you live In Lahore for one year”.  The study referenced is the Air Quality Life Index’s (AQLI) fact sheet for Pakistan, which was published in 2023 and developed by the […]

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False

Claim: A video shows the rocket by SpaceX creating a hole in the ionosphere, proving the Quran right as a verse in the Quran says: “And we have made the sky a roof withheld still they turn away from its signs” (21:32)  Fact: The video actually shows the second SpaceX test-flight of their two-stage rocket, […]

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False

Claim: Video shows state of the art train transporting children directly into their homes in China. Fact: The video was likely created using artificial intelligence or special effects,  and it has no connection to reality. On 6 August, an Instagram user “molly_____travel” posted a video (archive) apparently showing an advanced bullet train, transporting a child […]

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False

Claim: After a 7-month hiatus, X is now accessible in Pakistan after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) formally lifted the ban on the social media platform. It may be unclear whether this restoration is permanent but users can connect and post again. Fact: X has not been unbanned in Pakistan. On 12 September 2024, ProPakistani, […]

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False

Claim: A viral video shows a man  walking into an elevator with an e-bike battery, which almost instantly bursts into flames, causing an explosion inside the lift. In the latter half of the video, the same man can be seen being dragged out of the elevator, unconscious and almost completely covered with burn marks.  Fact: […]

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False

Claim: A video claims to show an eight-foot-long centipede. Fact: The video was generated using artificial intelligence. Its creator has confirmed that he made it using Runway’s Gen-3 Alpha tool. On 26 June 2024, BOL News posted (archive) a viral video on its Instagram account, @bolnetwork, comprising two different footages that allegedly depict a giant […]

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False

Claim: Viral posts on social media claimed that Dr Gilbert A Kwak, a professor at ICBS General Hospital, stated that hot fig water can cure cancer and that hot figs can “destroy” cancer cells. Fact: Although test tube studies have shown that figs possess some anti-cancer properties, there is no credible evidence to support the […]

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Misleading

Claim: An image shows a nuclear bomb test conducted in Balochistan in 1998. Fact: The picture shows a nuclear bomb test in Yucca Flat, Nevada in 1951, when the USA carried out a series of atmospheric bomb tests during the Cold War. On 28 May 2024, X user @KhalidaBaloch02 posted (archived) a picture apparently showing […]

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False

Claim: New technology allows hackers to extract fingerprints from photographs posted online where a person’s fingertips are visible, when making a peace sign, for example. These biometric details can then be used to hack into someone’s phone or commit a range of cybercrimes, including bypassing authentication processes and hacking into banking accounts. A good way […]

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False

Claim: Cosmic rays from outer space will enter Earth between 12:30 am and 3:30 am, around the time of the solar eclipse, and harm human bodies through digital devices. Fact: No scientific evidence exists that cosmic rays can pass through digital devices and harm human bodies. This false claim has circulated online time and again […]

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Claim: A viral Snapchat mashup shows several video clips of the recent rainstorm in the UAE. Fact: All ten of these clips are from last year, 2023.  On 16 April 2024, Soch Fact Check received a request to verify a mashup of video clips which was “Forwarded many times” on WhatsApp. The video shows multiple […]

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Claim: Director General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom has said that Disease X is a global problem and that we should be prepared for it. Fact: The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos discussed Disease X, a hypothetical outbreak. Disease X is not a specific disease but is the name given to a potential novel […]

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