Misinformation shared on apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram stoked fear and distrust amid already heightened tensions in Israel and Gaza, according to New York Times technology reporter Sheera Frenkel. Frenkel monitored roughly 100 Israeli and Palestinian local message groups last week as part of a Times investigation . "Watching the responses to that in real time, there's just real fear, real terror, I would say, on both sides." Frenkel said she found several pieces of misinformation being shared in the groups she analyzed. Once it has been shared five times, a message can then only be forwarded to one new group at a time.

Source: CBC News May 21, 2021 15:11 UTC