False: Olympics medal table with China on top is neither official nor authentic; images have been doctored
Misleading medal tables that show China with the most number of golds are doctored images.
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Hong Kong
False: No office property damaged or street blocked during the eviction of Hong Kong University Students’ Union
The false claim also featured two old photos taken in 2019 at the height of the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement.
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False: The Hong Kong University Students’ Union Building has not been demolished
The building is still standing on campus and can be freely entered. No plan was announced to knock it down after the Union moves out of the building.
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Misleading: Photos of HKU bulletin board with slogans of dissent were shot in 2016 and 2018, not after student body’s recent apology over controversial motion
The misleading Facebook and Weibo posts featured a collage of two old news photos taken from local news media outlets.
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Misleading: This video of Hong Kong kindergarteners conducting Chinese flag-raising ceremony was filmed years ago
Online posts claimed the Chinese Communist Party started “brainwashing” kids in Hong Kong recently, backed with a video of kindergarten pupils in a flag-raising ceremony. However, it was produced in 2015, according to a media interview with the kindergarten principal.
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Misleading: Hong Kong’s radiation levels neither exceeded safety limits nor increased drastically after issues reported at Taishan nuclear plant
The radiation levels remained consistent. A nuclear expert says a comparison with Fukushima is pointless as readings are ‘well within the safety limit’.
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Just in case: ‘Banner prohibition’ seen on fence in Hong Kong has been around since 2014
Photos of a banner circulating on social media attract comments about government overreach in Hong Kong’s political environment since last year. The banner is seven years old, however.
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Analysis: An old photo from 2019 Hong Kong protests circulates in Myanmar with the same false claim
Annie Lab’s analysis indicates the photo shows a protester with an air gun, not ‘an armed undercover Hong Kong police officer instigating violence.’
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Explainer: COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong
As the vaccine rollout gathers momentum, confusion and misleading claims about the effectiveness, side effects and safety of different vaccines continue to abound.
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False: These photos are manipulated to show Hong Kong stars holding banners in support of Xinjiang cotton
All images in the collage were taken in 2016 after a fire killed two firefighters in Ngau Tau Kok in Hong Kong as part of a social media campaign to show support for local firefighters.
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Analysis: Questions about Carrie Lam’s jab? Syringe was filled from a Sinovac vial
Annie Lab’s visual analysis shows the syringe used to inoculate the Chief Executive was filled from a Sinovac vial. It was not a prefilled syringe made by a European manufacturer as the rumor implies.
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False: This photo does not show 12 arrested Hong Kongers being led into a courthouse in Shenzhen
The image shows seven defendants charged with drug-related crimes walking into the courthouse of Taihe County, Anhui province.
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Misleading: Popular photo of USSR flag-waving protestors not related to this year’s Black Lives Matter movement
The two-year-old image has been used misleadingly by activists and politicians, sometimes in comparison with the protests in Hong Kong.
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Explainer: What is a British National Overseas (BNO) passport?
BNO became a hot topic in Hong Kong after China passed the resolution to impose a national security law in the city.
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False: McDonald’s won’t provide free meals to customers who say “I am your father” on Father’s Day
McDonald’s Hong Kong confirmed with Annie Lab in an email that local branches of the hamburger chain are not offering such a promotion.
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Analysis: Japan’s reported refusal to condemn China contradicts earlier statement expressing ‘serious concerns’ over national security law
Japanese government earlier issued a statement expressing ‘serious concerns’ over China’s decision to impose a national security law in HK.
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Investigation: Video of young men allegedly using illicit drugs has no connection to protests
Claims that the video was filmed in a university toilet are false
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False: Police commander did not admit to sexual assaults
The regional commander never discussed anything related to sexual assault in the press conference.
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Misleading: MTR Corporation has not revised the end-user agreement since protests began
The clause that stipulates the conditions under which the MTR can share the user data has been in the agreement since 2014.
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