Campaigns expert warns against Israel war misinformation
Suspected misinformation include claims that Hamas were accessing and messaging Jewish WhatsApp groups through phones seized from captured and deceased Israelis.
The Jewish News has spoken to a campaigns expert who warned against the proliferation of misinformation and potential fake news spreading in communal circles since Saturday.
The expert said, “Many of us will be scared and anxious for information which may impact friends and loved ones in Israel. We will also be keen to share information we receive, and an easy mass way of pushing that is forwarding messages on WhatsApp and sharing stories on Instagram.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing massive instances of people hitting share without giving any consideration to whether or not this content is true. At best this can spread fear and panic, and at worst be far far more dangerous and manipulative. ”
The expert provided the Jewish News with a log of suspected misinformation they had identified being shared over the past week including adverts for demonstrations claiming to be authorised by communal organisations which are named incorrectly, a demonstration seemingly endorsed by the Israeli Embassy which ultimately never took place, claims that opening a file called “Seismic Waves CARD” mass forwarded on WhatsApp would give Hamas access to phones’ contents, unattributed claims from “the Israeli government” requesting people do not forward footage of Hamas’s atrocities, fictional speeches attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister, and claims that Hamas were accessing and messaging Jewish WhatsApp groups through phones seized from captured and deceased Israelis.
There were also a large number of unverified fundraising appeals that claim to fund off the shelf military hardware for badly equipped Israeli soldiers, reports of an armed individual in the vicinity of a synagogue which was also on a busy high street which were later confirmed to be untrue, and the alleged antisemitic vandalism of a popular kosher restaurant whose owners later confirmed that it was a simple robbery by a known criminal suspect.
Another particularly shocking message which has been widely forwarded appeals for Israeli reservists currently abroad to email copies of their passports, flight details, and sensitive military details to a personal Gmail address as the alleged originator was claiming “I have an organization that will cover their flight”.
An Israeli mobile number is listed alongside the email address, but there is no definitive way to verify whether this offer is genuine or – in a worst case scenario – a Hamas or Iranian sting intended to gather intelligence on Israeli reservists abroad.
On this message, the expert commented “Iran is known to target Israelis abroad, and there is absolutely nothing stopping Iranian operatives setting up seemingly authentic fake WhatsApp accounts on a +972 number with a dirty phone. By the same token, the West Bank and Gaza Strip both use +972 as a country code so that’s no guarantee of it actually being used by an Israeli”.
The expert said, “people mean well but must be more aware and careful about the information they are sharing. Good, accurate information will almost always be verified with a clear and easy attribution trail back to a genuine source. Our community must be aware of the red flags for misinformation and disinformation which include a total lack of sources, evocation of strong emotions, establishment of a personal relationship with the originator, and ascertaining of credibility with some kind of reference to authority”.
Misinformation is the unintentional sharing of false information, whereas disinformation is false information deliberately disseminated.
The expert added, “this is very similar to the early days of the Covid pandemic where an initial information vacuum was exploited and filled by fake news, all too often unintentionally spread by well-meaning people. Three years on, we are still clearing that mess up with antivaxxers, for example.
“Don’t get caught out in the same way here, and ensure your information is coming from verified sources.
“Credible media with i24, Times of Israel, and The Times as well as Israeli government social media channels are all good starting points.”
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