Accurate information is the foundation of a functioning democracy
A worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction.
Our goal is to empower readers to discern trustworthy news.
Insights
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Hantavirus outbreak reignites COVID misinformation tropes
The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak triggered a wave of conspiracy theories and misinformation about ivermectin and vaccines, which were popular during the pandemic.
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Omega-3 supplements: not a silver bullet for depression
Health influencers suggest omega-3 supplementation can treat depression or even replace antidepressant medication. But such claims put vulnerable people at risk. In truth, the scientific evidence behind the effectiveness of omega-3 supplementation for depression is more uncertain than these social media posts let on. We explain in this Insight article.
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You are what you eat: how dietary misinfo appeals to our emotions
Harmful nutrition misinformation circulates widely online. From the raw food movement to the carnivore diet, we look at how these trends exploit various psychological levers to gain popularity in spite of the lack of scientific evidence to support them.
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Recent Reviews
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UnsupportedDoctor misleads with post claiming ivermectin works against hantavirus
Claim:
Ivermectin “should work” against hantavirus because it blocks “RNA viruses from entering the nucleus [and] inhibits viral replication”
Source: X/Twitter, Mary Talley Bowden, 2026-05-07 -
InaccurateGerman placenta study didn’t show COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are harmful
Claim:
Vaccine-derived spike protein is harmful, its presence in placenta linked to rise in infant mortality
Source: X/Twitter, The Focal Points, Nicolas Hulscher, 2026-03-08 -
UnsupportedKeto diet isn’t cure for schizophrenia, contrary to US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim
Claim:
Schizophrenia can be cured with the keto diet
Source: Twitter/X, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2026-02-04 -
Lacks contextBringing clarity to misleading claims about wind turbines’ costs, impacts on birds
Claim:
Wind turbines are killing bald eagles, and make you pay more for electricity
Source: Gateway Pundit, Gregory Lyakhov, 2026-01-13 -
IncorrectHealth influencer Paul Saladino incorrectly attributes acne to autoimmunity
Claim:
Acne is an autoimmune condition; removing vegetables from your diet can treat autoimmunity
Source: Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, Paul Saladino, 2026-01-24 -
InaccurateViral claims that cows and beef are climate solutions ignore the impacts of cattle farms
Claim:
Cows are carbon-negative; to tackle climate change, we need to raise more cows and eat more beef.
Source: TikTok, X/Twitter, Social media user, 2025-12-18
Analyses & Investigations
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What our second measurement says about misinformation on major platforms in Europe
TikTok continues to show the highest prevalence of mis/disinformation (~25% of exposure-weighted posts), up from ~20% in the first measurement.
The interaction advantage of low-credibility accounts over high-credibility ones persisted or worsened on most platforms. -
2025 review of climate misinformation and environmental coverage in the French media
For the first time, climate misinformation broadcast on television and radio has been quantified and qualified over an entire year.
Over the course of 2025, we detected a total of 665 cases, an average of 13 cases per week. -
Beware of AI-generated doctors giving health advice on social media: investigating the phenomenon on TikTok
Deepfakes of real doctors on TikTok spread health misinformation, attracting millions of views. Our findings suggest that such content can be valuable for engagement farming and monetization.
News & events
press
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RFI
TikTok and META top the list of online disinformation in Europe
(Translated from French) Measuring – scientifically – this amplification of dubious publications remains a challenge, given the opaque workings of digital services. A group of civil society organizations is attempting to meet this challenge through the SIMODS research project…
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Euractiv
TikTok carries more disinformation than major social rivals, study finds
Emmanuel Vincent, lead author and founder of Science Feedback, hit out at the platforms for failing to label AI-generated content while monetising accounts that spread it.
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TV5 Monde
Climate: How to combat disinformation? (64′ Debate)
(translated from French) Beyond the denial of climate science itself, an increasing amount of misinformation targets solutions to curb climate change, such as renewable energies, electric vehicles, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Euronews
Exclusive: Elon Musk’s X fails to deal with Russian disinformation, breaching EU rules, study says
Terroille said another Russian method is to fabricate pages that look like well-known Western media outlets and spread them on X.
He added that fake news about public health and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines are still running, among other topics, such as misinformation about the environment and are “absolutely weaponised” by Russia.