Analysis: Viral post misleadingly links sunscreen use to higher cancer risk
Researchers tied the apparent link to behavioral factors, such as higher UV exposure and insufficient sunscreen use, not sunscreen itself
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annie lab
@HKU School of Future Media
In-depth
Analysis: Overlapping EU regulations fueled confusion over smartphone batteries
The European Union does not require smartphones to return to a classic user-replaceable-battery design by 2027. Major models qualify for the professional-repairer-only exemption.
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Explainer: Viral posts misrepresent decades‑long hantavirus vaccine research
DNA vaccines are a form of immunization, not gene therapy. No hantavirus vaccines have been in widespread use, with most candidates still in early‑stage research and development.
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Explainer: China requires real-name registration online, but not public ‘face reveals’ for VTubers
Online claims mischaracterized voluntary platform real-name measures and falsely said authorities released images showing virtual streamers’ “real faces”
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Analysis: Viral video’s ‘human leg’ meat likely shows beef or other hoofed animal flesh
The Instagram user who shot the original clip says it is “a beef leg.” An anatomy expert says it has features typical of hoofed animals such as cows, sheep, goats, camels, or horses.
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Analysis: Viral ‘broken-leg women’ video falsely links charity footage to fake ‘marriage custom’
Widely shared clips repurpose charity videos on rural poverty and disability, not marriage customs or domestic abuse
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Explainer: Pet ID cards in HK aren’t official but fun; We got our own, too
Hong Kong doesn’t actually issue official identity cards for pets; the card images circulating online for years show novelty items. Annie Lab reporters ordered two such “pet IDs” to compare the process.
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Analysis: No new Chinese law on influencers; livestream regulations took effect in 2022
Viral claims about China’s “new law” requiring influencers to prove their qualifications in medicine, law, finance, and education is misleading. It conflated an existing 2022 regulation for livestreamers.
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Analysis: Most German Christmas markets to open as planned in 2025
There is no credible evidence to support claims that due to security concerns, a large number of Christmas markets in Germany have been canceled. City officials and local tourism boards have confirmed most markets will go ahead as planned.
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Analysis: Narratives on ‘botched’ suicide prevention messages at Seoul’s Mapo Bridge
Internet users occasionally bring up the decade-old “Bridge of Life” campaign in South Korea even now, claiming that the suicide prevention measures in 2012 unintuitively contributed to more people jumping off the bridge. Annie Lab looked into what really happened.
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