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Fighters from dissident armed groups in Colombia are using TikTok to glorify their lives as guerrillas and recruit youngsters.

These armed groups didn't like the terms of a peace treaty negotiated between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government in 2016, and they kept fighting against the Colombian government. These groups make their money from illegal businesses.

Their videos have struck a chord with teen...

Jusper Machogu is a farmer from southwestern Kenya who describes himself as a “climate sceptic”: he wrongly claims that climate change is a “scam” or a “hoax” designed to hold Africa back. On social media, he has also become known as a staunch defender of fossil fuel exploration in Africa.

His views have caught the eye of those in the West who, like him, deny the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming. They have helped...

Farmers' protests have been erupting across Europe, and on February 20th one image from a protest in Poland went viral. It showed a tractor carrying a soviet flag and bearing a slogan calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘bring order to Ukraine, Brussels and our rulers.’ The man driving the tractor was arrested and is currently awaiting trial. After the image was released Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson released a ...

In a viral thread posted on X in January this year, a 23-year-old Russian man claims he used ChatGPT to filter through and chat thousands of women on Tinder, eventually proposing to one that was selected by the algorithm. The scale and success of his experiment sparked scepticism. Some raised doubts about the technical plausibility of it, while others voiced concerns about the ethical implications of such an endeavour. In an attemp...

Long Covid can ruin lives, and scientists are striving to understand the condition and beginning to get some early clues about possible treatments. While there are still more questions than answers, though, many have turned online for help. But could what they find there sometimes do more harm than good? Rachel Schraer goes undercover to investigate the Lightning Process, a controversial treatment programme being promoted online fo...

In 2024 yet another Kennedy is making a bid for the White House. Robert F Kennedy Jr - nephew of the late President John F Kennedy - is enjoying strong polling numbers for an independent candidate. He’s running on a platform of promising to take on powerful vested interests to create a better life for the average American.

But away from his Camelot-infused stump speeches, he is facing questions about his long and controversial reco...

In 2011, Tunisians took to the streets against the ruling authoritarian regime. Catalysed by social media, the protests would reverberate around the world, spark the Arab Spring and lead to significant democratic reforms in the country.

More recently, Tunisia’s democracy has reached a turning point. In 2021, as public frustration with the pandemic and the failing economy grew, the Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the prime mini...

"A flood of disinformation has erupted across social media in the online propaganda battle that’s being waged alongside the physical conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Everything from video game clips falsely presented as genuine combat footage, to the outright denial of civilian deaths, have been deployed to try to skew the online narrative and warp public perceptions.

BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and Shayan Sardarizadeh examine the...

When an audio recording alleged to be from the Mayor of one of the world's largest cities started circulating online, reality was called into question. Mexico City's mayor, claimed the clip- which sounded like he was discussing a campaign against a political candidate- was AI generated. Others are convinced the audio is real. In this episode of Trending’s Power season, Jack Goodman and Laura García go on the hunt for answers. Using...

A BBC investigation has uncovered a network of fake social media accounts seemingly working together to promote the Ugandan government and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Online, an information battle appears to be going on – one being waged by hundreds of social media accounts set on pushing narratives in line with those of the Ugandan government. As part of a coordinated campaign, they have been artificially inflating suppor...

Over the summer, a mysterious Twitter persona published details of over 14,500 social media accounts - all of them controlled by real-life Serbian citizens, it's claimed. They stand accused of posting… whatever the President’s party tells them to.

It’s long been rumoured that Serbia’s ruling SNS party commands the online activity of a small army of citizens, dubbed ‘bots’ by the opposition. But this kind of list, naming and shaming ...

Earlier in October, Australia took to the polls in a referendum and rejected the establishment of an indigenous advisory body in the constitution - the Voice. Beyond the typical controversies, social media became flooded with false information.

In this episode of Trending, we’ll delve into how online conspiracy groups garnered support for their extreme theories to oppose the Voice, and gained unlikely allies along the way.

Presente...

A life coaching group has been accused of trolling former members. Lighthouse International Group promises to help people realise their dreams and ambitions, but the reality is more sinister. Lighthouse obsessively records and stores mentoring sessions and group calls. But when people ask questions or try to leave, that’s when the trouble really starts. BBC Trending's series Trolled lifts the lid on online abuse and trolling on and...

Mike Wendling and Maxine Hughes explore how extreme conspiracies and right wing rhetoric went mainstream in America. From the Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio, to far right militias and Antifa, we hear from individuals on the extremes of American politics about what they believe and why, and explore what part social media has played in the radicalisation of parts of American society. Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Maxine Hughes Produ...

Videos taken across India are going viral on social media. They show hordes of men harassing and even attacking young couples in the street.

The clips are accompanied by a hashtag #BhagwaLoveTrap - and have been inspired by an inflammatory narrative.

The theory suggests Hindu men are trying to seduce Muslim women and lure them away from their communities - but there’s scant evidence to support the idea.

Shruti Menon meets the Muslim ...

TikTok started as an app for posting lip syncs and dance videos, but quickly developed into a platform where users can follow along world events, criminal investigations and social unrest in real time.

From frenzied speculation over true crime to vandalism and protests at schools, TikTok seems to be connected to harmful behaviour offline as the app draws in billions of eyeballs and spawns all kinds of content out at scale and speed.

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