False Promotion

Is the "Lovers and Friends Festival" lineup a fake? No, that's not true: The music festival is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in May 2022 with the artists listed on the festival's website. The claim of a fake appeared in a July 30, 2021, Facebook post (archived here). It opens: WARNING PLEASE SPREAD THIS MESSAGE!! This is what…

Does this caption accurately describe the social structure of a wolf pack that happened to be photographed moving single file through the snow? No, that's not true: This is an allegorical caption that uses the image of a wolf pack to deliver a lesson to people about "the true meaning of life." This breakdown of the roles of the wolves…

Are the claims made in smartDOT advertising all verifiable? No, that's not true: Claims in smartDOT advertising have not been proven by scientific studies, and promotional references citing features in well-known publications appear to be fabricated. The claims are twofold: the assertion that electric and magnetic fields (EMF) radiation from electronic devices can cause physical symptoms like headaches and anxiety,…

Does a video show a "sleeve," or human body used for cloning? No, that's not true. The video was copied from promotion for the Netflix show Altered Carbon. This was a presentation the streaming service used to garner attention for the show in 2018 and is not photo documentation of Hollywood elites secretly cloning people, a variation on the QAnon…

Was this product -- keto diet pills -- backed by "every judge on Shark Tank"? No, that's not true: These fake promotions are part of what's called a "subscription scam." These pills were never presented on the TV show "Shark Tank" and were never backed by a single judge. Many of the Shark Tank "sharks" have spoken out about these…

Was the inauguration cancelled; will Donald Trump remain in office; and will ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, MSNBC all lose their licenses? No, none of that is true: A made-up story containing those claims and predictions was written by a discredited conspiracy writer and published by 'Before It's News', a news platform that lets anyone write and publish what they…

Will sharing this picture on social media of a baby who was born blind help raise the $200,000 needed for treatment that could help the child see? No, that's not true: This post is a classic example of "share-baiting," and it has been circulating since 2017. WhatsApp, because of its encrypted design, cannot even trace the number of times a…

Did a worker in Philadelphia disguise trash cans so that people would throw away their ballots? No, that's not true: The posters proclaiming "Ballot Box" on sidewalk solar-powered trash compactors were created to advertise "Ballot Box" an exhibit about the history of voting rights at the nearby Union League Building. Suspicions were aired. Complaints were made. Apologies were made. Trash…

Is China using a treaty with Canada to mass tens-of-thousands of Chinese soldiers on the Canadian border in preparation for a military invasion of the United States? No, that's not true: Local and Canadian officials say there are no Chinese soldiers deployed in western Canada. The treaty cited in the claim does not include provisions that allow China to send…

Did a mother publish photos of her baby along with a plea for the public to share the post and wish him a Happy Birthday? No, that's not true: These photos were taken from the mother's blog without permission and are being used as "engagement bait" by a shady network of websites. It is not the baby's third birthday. The…