Technology

Did Albert Bourla, the chairman and CEO of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company, "maintain" that mRNA vaccine technology was unsafe when he gave researchers the go-ahead to use it in Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: In the full 2022 Washington Post interview from which this claim is derived, Bourla did not say that mRNA was unsafe. He said that…

Did USA Today publish an article on November 30, 2022, titled, "Elon Musk's Neuralink implants have killed nearly 3000 monkeys since last December, 98% fatality rate"? No, that's not true: This is not a real USA Today headline and the numbers reported in the false headline are grossly exaggerated. Bailey Schulz, whose name appears in the byline of the fake…

Does a map showing "Terra-Infinita" show a real place composed of 178 worlds that exist beyond the domed territory of the "Known Lands" of Earth, ringed by a giant wall of ice and guarded by "custodians"? No, that's not true: This detailed map is an illustration from a science fiction series written and published by Claudio Nocelli, also known by…

Does former President Richard Nixon's call without a string of cellphone towers prove that NASA never put astronauts on the moon? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesman explained to Lead Stories that the agency used massive radio antennas and ground tracking stations to connect Nixon with the astronauts. The nonexistence of cellphones in 1969, therefore, does not prove that…

Did Hitler invent highways and microphones, as Ye said in a radio interview? No, that's not true: The Nazis appropriated highway plans and construction already occurring. Several people are credited with inventing the microphone in the late 1800s, long before Hitler's time in power in Germany. The claim appeared in an interview (archived here) by Ye, who changed his name…

Did Twitter CEO Elon Musk announce in a tweet that he is "buying Snapchat and deleting all the filters"? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available evidence to suggest that Musk said or tweeted such a statement. The "tweet" in this post is a digitally manipulated screenshot that originated from a meme Twitter account and was reposted on…

Does an increase in inactive voters show evidence of criminal intent in Arizona for the 2022 election? No, that's not true: The numbers in Maricopa County, Arizona, shown in the claim are accurate, representing tallies after several mailings were sent to voters to update information as required by state law, a county official told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in…

Is the fast-growing social networking app Gas being used for sex trafficking, and have children across the nation gone missing after using it? No, that's not true: The claim is a hoax and the app has not been linked to any cases of child sex trafficking, according to its creator. The claim appeared in an Instagram post from November 9,…

Did Apple CEO Tim Cook tell Elon Musk that his "feedback is appreciated" and demand that he "pay 30%" after the Twitter CEO claimed that Apple seeks to suppress free speech? No, that's not true: The wisecrack had appeared on other Twitter users' accounts before it was ascribed to Cook, whose verified Twitter account had not been active for several…

Does a composite image showing the Space Shuttle Challenger commander Francis Richard Scobee and the CEO of Cows and Trees, Richard Scobee, prove that the 1986 space shuttle disaster never happened and the astronauts did not die? No, that's not true: The catastrophe was broadcast live, and its details were thoroughly investigated and reported to the president of the United…

Does a photo of the Artemis I mission launch show that the rocket missed its target, falling short of the moon -- perhaps dropping into the ocean? No, that's not true: The launch went as planned and the Orion spacecraft orbited Earth once en route to the moon. This is a real photo of the launch of the uncrewed Orion…

Did CNN publish an article or a news report stating that "Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by literally allowing people to speak freely"? No, that's not true: As of November 28, 2022, the CNN website had not published such a story, which originated from a satirical website overtly presenting itself as a "source of fake news." The…

Did Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin "admit we never went to the moon"? No, that's not true: The 2015 video interview from which a clip was taken to support this claim actually showed Aldrin answering a different question. The claim reappeared in a post on Instagram published on November 24, 2022. The accompanying text comment said: It's clear as day…

Do COVID-19 nasal test swabs contain both lithium and DARPA hydrogel that allow recipients to be remotely controlled? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Lead Stories that nasal swabs used to test for COVID do not contain lithium or hydrogel from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The claim appeared in a TikTok video…

Does an image widely circulated on social media accurately depict an Anchorage Daily News article about a Virginia man who was arrested for having created "exact replicas of classified US military bases" in the Minecraft video game? No, that's not true: This is a digitally altered meme that was initially posted as a joke in an online social forum. The…

Did former President Donald Trump say in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he will return to Twitter when Elon Musk, the social media platform's new owner and CEO, calls him "daddy"? No, that's not true: Trump has not posted about this on Truth Social since Musk reinstated his Twitter account on November 19, 2022. There…

Did Apple delete all its tweets? No, that's not true: While Apple's official Twitter account @Apple is devoid of tweets, it's not because they were deleted. The tech giant doesn't typically tweet, but it does maintain other official Twitter accounts for its brands, including @AppleMusic, @AppleTV and @AppStore, that are active. Apple does change its profile pictures occasionally to promote…

Did Twitter employees protest Elon Musk by marching in gay pride regalia with a banner after he became the owner of Twitter? No, that's not true: There have been no reports of Twitter employees protesting Musk's ownership by marching with this banner. This altered photo of marchers with a Pride flag originally is from a June 2, 2013, Pride parade…

Is Twitter owner Elon Musk charging journalists who use the non-gendered pronouns "they/them" $16 per month to secure a blue check verification -- twice the price as other users? No, that's not true: The claim is satire and neither Twitter nor Musk have announced a plan to double charges for nonbinary reporters. The claim appeared in a November 8, 2022,…

Is the Earth flat and surrounded by a transparent barrier that prevents rockets from leaving the Earth's atmosphere? Beyond this barrier, is there a firmament composed of water or a liquid-like substance? Does this explain why the U.S. government in 1962 launched Operation Fish Bowl -- to use nuclear weapons to try and break through that barrier? No, that's not…