DisinfoWatch’s database of COVID related misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, hoaxes and foreign propaganda. We use various tools to monitor and collect examples, which we then analyze and publish. By default, examples are sorted by date. RSS feed here.
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| Mis/Disinformation Example | Date | Source Region | Themes | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearing Masks in Canada is Not Illegal According to AFP Fact Check, recent posts on social media falsely claim that Canadian COVID-19 protocols are now illegal. An organization calling itself the National Council of Common Law Assemblies... | 22 September 2020 | Canada | anti-mask,COVID-19 | Disinformation,Misinformation |
| Camels Cannot Contract Coronvirus An African website, Piga Firimbi, reported that a Twitter post suggested that camels are contracting COVID-19. The translation of the Tweet that was originally written in Swahili translates to “Have... | 14 September 2020 | Kenya | Animals,COVID-19 | Misinformation |
| Pro-Kremlin Groups Promote Anti-Mask Rally in Montreal A Canadian pro-Kremlin Russian language Facebook group promoted an anti-mask rally that was organized in Montreal on September 13, 2020. Russian flags were photographed at the rally by CBC journalists.... | 14 September 2020 | Canada | COVID-19,Denial,Qanon,Russia | Astroturf,Conspiracy Theory |
| U of Waterloo Professor: COVID is a Fake Emergency The CBC reports that a University of Waterloo professor has reinforced conspiracy theories about a “COVID fake emergency”, in a recently published Fall 2020 syllabus document. According to the... | 14 September 2020 | Canada | COVID-19,Denial | Conspiracy Theory,Misinformation |
| Toronto Children’s Hospital Says Masks Aren’t Required for Returning School Kids Global Research, a Montreal based conspiracy theory website that has been identified by the US State Department as an outlet “that Russia has used or directed to spread propaganda on... | 6 September 2020 | Canada | Children,COVID-19,Schools | Misinformation |
| Navalny Poisoning is Distraction from Western COVID Bioterrorism This Tweet, retweeted multiple times, claims that the German government’s conclusion that Russian anti-corruption activist, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned by a Russian military grade nerve agent Novichok, has been manufactured... | 4 September 2020 | Canada | Bill Gates,Biological Weapon,Bioterror,COVID-19,Vaccination | Conspiracy Theory,Disinformation |
| Holy communion is banned in Toronto Due To COVID-19 A post on a Russian Orthodox website linked directly to Kremlin aligned website, Russia-Insider on July 6, 2020, falsely claiming that holy communion had been banned in Toronto churches was... | 4 September 2020 | Russia | COVID-19,Religion,Russian Orthodox Church | Misinformation |
| Russian Official: Western Vaccine Fast Tracking Proves Russia Was Right to Skip Large Trials The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has been heavily involved in Russia’s “Sputnik V” vaccine program, Kirill Dmitriev states that the United States... | 31 August 2020 | Russia | Russian Government,State Media | Disinformation,Misinformation |
| Facebook Claim: COVID Vaccine Will Alter DNA A Facebook post which echoes anti-vaxx, claims that “a new vaccine for COVID-19” will modify an individual’s DNA, and reinforces conspiracy theories about Bill Gates and vaccinations. The text, accompanying... | 21 August 2020 | Unknown | Big Pharma,Vaccination | Conspiracy Theory,Disinformation |
| Parliament has passed law that allows government to quarantine a child who show COVID-19 symptoms at school separately from a parent Several Facebook posts claim that the Government of Canada has passed legislation that would allow the government to quarantine children who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms and separate them from their parent(s).... | 18 August 2020 | Canada | Children,COVID-19 | Disinformation,Misinformation |
