Explainer: What is a deep fake and how to spot it?

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Deepfake is an application of AI technology that can manipulate videos, images, and audio of real people. It has been used for hate speech and misinformation, as well as to impersonate people’s likenesses.

Writer: Ghai Aketch

Have you ever wondered when digital content looking authentic is flagged as fake? It is indeed possible with the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that is a sophisticated spread of disinformation and hate speech. 

Deepfake is, therefore a product of such advanced tech. It’s an application of sophisticated computer AI to manipulate videos, images or audio of real people. Its name is derived from Deep Learning, a type of AI system.  

The targeted images are altered by deep fake software to generate exact images of the person, and  synthetic character is produced. The output of the manipulated footage turns real people to say words they never spoke or act as the programmer wants. 

The deepfake videos were initially targeting celebrities to ‘feature’ in explicit clips. The explicit contents would sequentially promote clicks on the websites. 

The programmers download random pornographic videos and swap faces of prominent people with the video characters which to great extent looks original.

So, given the possibility to manipulate images of real people is worrying according to  researches when  political or religious leaders are targeted to ‘utter’ hate speech towards other groups. It has become a great source for hate speech and misinformation propagation. 

Although no reported clips of deepfake involving South Sudanese prominent figures, concerns should be placed on alertness on the dangers this technology could cause in the politically  fragile state should it happen. 

When used in a political setting, the image-altering emerging trends could cause detrimental cybersecurity and society threats according to Security Week.

The most recent example of a deepfake footage is of the US sitting president, Joe Biden. 

The footage in circulation was manipulated and appeared ridiculing transgender women, by allegedly saying, “you will never be a real woman.”

Interestingly, he had earlier supported transgender Americans before the footage emerged. It was hard though to distinguish it as fake. But with keen reference to past events can wake your curiosity. 

The United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs(UNODA)  in 2019 to 2021 held a series of multi-stakeholders sessions highlighting that  misuse of ICT may ‘harm international peace and security.’ 

But fast-advancing technology has eased this machine learning process. That’s to say anyone with a computer and internet access can, with ease, generate deepfake contents. 

Also, its emerging  user-friendly interface has made AI-altered products more available on the internet today. 

However, countering that, developers  have reverse engineered the deepfake processes. Several deepfake debunking softwares such as, DeepTrace, Microsoft Video Authenticator and DuckDuckGoose are countering spread of disinformation through digital content verification. 

As much as deepfake is useful in the entertainment industry, it’s largely digressing into real crimes and insecurity for states. 

How to detect deepfake

Emergence of new tech has made almost anything possible. But people tend to be baffled  while sifting genuine information from deepfakes.

Fortunately, you can, without using deepfake detecting tools, try to spot the following in a computer-doctored footage.

How to spot deep fake

Additionally, being critical enough of digitally-generated content can do you better to detect certain flaws in deepfakes considering  coherence of speeches, or previous  events. 

For example, the recent Joe Biden deepfake which allegedly ‘ridiculed’ transgender women. But look, previously he had signed sex-marriage bill into law, saying that Americans have rights to choose whom they want to marry. 

Moreover, in the US transgender policies are upheld in some states including Washington D.C, where the government sits. So, such sudden inconsistencies can give you clear  hints  that that particular footage is fake.

It has come a time you should not always believe what you see according to an analytical report on deepfake emergence.  

In South Sudan, impersonation of people’s likenesses has been through the commonly easy-to-use celebrity photos swapping Apps. However, it’s simple to spot that such images are inauthentic looking at the skin tone and image orientation.

In conclusion,  deepfakes will keep increasing and grow complex according to available publications. But you need to be curious as deepfakes disseminate disinformation via altered images of powerful and famous personalities. 

Blog: The need for disability-inclusive tools to combat online disinformation

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Despite many fact-checking tools, online journalism must embrace inclusion. This requires inclusive digital security training for digital news companies and accessible fact-checking tools.

Writer: Nancy Marangu

The evolution of social media platforms has changed the dichotomy in which information is received and disseminated over time.

As a platform enabler, the internet has given birth to digital, also known as online journalism, which allows everyone to share information quickly. Digital journalism, a modern form of reporting in which editorial content is distributed via the internet, is continuing to transform journalism.

While we appreciate the rapid distribution of content, we must remember that fake news and misinformation continue to affect everyone, mainly persons with disabilities (PWDs). As a result, interventions for PWDs are required so that they can benefit equally from objective and accurate information.

As a result, it is necessary to:

To begin, news organisations must ensure that inclusive media verification tools are accessible and usable by people with disabilities during content distribution. This is because news organisations and digital platforms play a significant role in news distribution control and managing digital journalism collaboratively. This implies that information distributors can be as creative as possible in providing messages in various forms, including speech, while maintaining accessible websites.

Second, NewsCheck is being integrated into the information distribution platform. NewsCheck uses blockchain technology to provide credible scoring on information posted on various social media platforms. This necessitates that news organisations develop accessibility applications that PWDs can easily use to identify disinformation and investigate mechanisms for correcting false information.

Third, while using institutionally accessible websites, news organisations can incorporate Adblock Plus, a browser extension and application that blocks advertisements and websites via filtering lists. The filtering list protects users from malicious and disinformation-spreading websites.

Finally, according to Rand Corporation, 2022, Bot Sentinel is a platform designed to detect and track troll bots and untrustworthy Twitter accounts. Bot Sentinel analyses Twitter accounts, classifies information as trustworthy or untrustworthy and identifies bots using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Developers use the data they collect to investigate the impact of bots and their propaganda on discourse, as well as ways to combat the spread of bots and the information they spread. Untrustworthy accounts must be classified manually. Hundreds of tweets and retweets are reviewed during the review process. They may label an account untrustworthy if it has many followers and a high percentage of misleading and/or factually incorrect tweets. However, it is essential to note that most digital journalists share information on their Twitter platforms. While information is distributed, it is unfortunate that the owners of the companies conduct little or no continuous research to determine the population segments that access information through their platforms.

In conclusion, while there are many more fact-checking tools available, the need for online journalism to incorporate inclusion is critical. Moving forward, this will necessitate more inclusive digital security training for digital news organisations and intentional innovation in information fact-checking tools accessible and usable by people with disabilities.


This blog article was published as part of an assignment for the Empowering Fact-checking in South Sudan (EFiSS) Training Program by 211 Check.

Blog: Cybersecurity awareness and why it matters in South Sudan

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As South Sudan’s internet penetration grows, so do cyber threats such as cyberbullying, scamming, and hacking. Fortunately, a concern to curb this is taking shape through cybersecurity awareness—an effort from the government and nonprofit organisations.

Writer: Ghai Aketch

It’s your right to get access to the internet, given the contemporary environment of modernisation. But your rights can be your downfall if you aren’t extra cautious with your online interactions. It, therefore, comes with responsibility, discipline, and alertness to be secure on the internet. 

With internet adoption in South Sudan in recent years, many people have made money and lost it to online scammers. 

The country has three mobile network operators, with 3,885,484 users in 2022. Moreover, there are 12 internet service providers (ISPs) with a major market in Juba. Both ISPs and mobile internet users constituted 1.25 million in 2022, according to Data Reportal statistics.

South Sudan’s internet penetration rate stands at 10.9 per cent in 2022. But out of this figure, Facebook has nearly 500 thousand users. Bringing total social media users to 515 thousand in the country.

That has compelled the National Communications Authority and SafetyComm South Sudan to launch extensive cybersecurity awareness to curb growing cyber attacks on individuals’ social media pages, accounts and organisations. 

Lately, hackers have targeted internet users in the country, with most scams coming through e-business services, fake scholarships, grant applications and trickery links shared on social media. 

Cyber experts stress that South Sudanese netizens fall prey to scams that come to them through ‘fully funded’ scholarships and financial grants for business support but end up spending their own money on non-existing services.

Others lose thousands of dollars to non-existing car shipping companies that mimic real car-dealing websites overseas. 

Angel Atem, a South Sudanese netizen, lost her Facebook account to hackers earlier in October 2022. That implies she now has no control over her account, but the hackers have. They’ve been sending her friends’ links via inbox and asking for financial support in her name. 

“My Facebook account was hacked, and I don’t know what to do. I registered it with my sim card, but it has been changed, so I can’t log in again,” she said.

She is just one of the many other online users in the country who are only interested in employing curiosity while surfing the internet while clicking links that subsequently require their login details.

Another loophole cybersecurity experts caution netizens is having one password for a long time or having one password across their multiple internet accounts. 

“If someone tells you that they’re going to connect you to free MTN data, then you give them your password, that’s not facebook giving out your password; it’s you,” Ariik Robert, a cybersecurity expert working for SafetyComm South Sudan told the audience during a cybersecurity awareness campaign.

“So that’s why awareness is a key so that we tell you it’s a lie so that next time it comes your way, you will definitely know someone is trying to take over your account,” Robert explained. 

“Global cybersecurity awareness month, NCA will take multiple activities to raise awareness levels in our communities and build the capacity and empower the people to be resilient to mitigate cybersecurity attacks and to deal with them once they are attacked,” Unguec Stephan Kang, NCA Assistant Director Cybersecurity, said in October.

According to the NCA, the country must protect exposed internet users from scammers. One significant way to protect them is to increase digital literacy and creation awareness across the country.

But as a digital citizen, you have the responsibility to keep yourself and others secure, experts advise. 

Simple ways to protect yourself from hackers

  • Use dual-factor authentication on your cloud, email, social media and bank accounts. Two-factor authentication gives you control of the activity login of your accounts by sending your codes to your mobile phone or email.
  • Strong password, using a combination of characters such as; caps, lowe@, numbers, _ or # )
  • You should use a different password across all your internet accounts and keep it unchanged for a long time. If not, hackers can quickly gain access to your account by breaking the password.
  • Use anti-virus software on all your devices. That will offer more security against malware designed to attack you.
  • Not clicking suspicious links and entering your login credentials when it instructs you to do so. You’re about to be scammed should that link redirect for a login. Stop it! 
  • Changing passwords often, not using the same password across the accounts, creating extended passports, and not clicking links you don’t know. 

Robert reiterated that social media is very addictive; it has so much convenience with it, it’s entertaining-takes away so much boredom- these are threads hackers take advantage of, he warned. 

This blog post was published as part of the Fact-checking and Digital Rights Fellowship in the context of the Africa Digital Rights Fund with support from the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). 

Blog: South Sudan must fortify its cyberspace as cybercrime attacks cost billions of dollars in losses globally

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Cyber attacks are one of the most dangerous phenomena haunting people worldwide. The attacks, aided by information technology infrastructure and actors, cause severe damage to the lives of people everywhere.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

Cyber crime is committed through illegal attacks by entities or individuals using collective methods of knowledge, device and the internet to get unauthorised access to computer systems, networks and other information technology devices. 

Cyber-attacks are of various categories and take different dimensions depending on the attacker’s interests in the target. It combines techniques, skills, devices and the target’s vulnerability to accomplish a successful attack.

If they succeed in the attacks, data is compromised, devices are infected, and the victims are psychologically tortured as they are left with pain.

The cyber-attack actors are the crime organisations, the state, and the individual. The mission of the attack may differ, but it primarily is to harvest data from the targets that could yield millions or billions of dollars and information gathering.

There are many types of cyber-attacks, including phishing, SQL injection threat, man – in – the middle, cross-site scripting, distributed denial of service, password, AI-powered, drive, eavesdropping, ransomware, and so on.

These attacks are the most commonly used globally to commit cybercrime operations over the internet to compromise victims.

The illustration of phishing attack © AAG IT Company

Even though the internet has many advantages, South Sudanese should be aware of its risks and dangers. This necessitates understanding cybercrime attacks and the methods used to carry them out.

Nobody can, however, eliminate cyber attacks, but understanding the dynamics of the attacks can help reduce attacks and save money and people’s lives.

According to the AAG IT Company 2022 cyber crime report, phishing attacks are widely executed.

“Phishing remains the most common form of cybercrime. Globally, 323,972 internet users fell victim to phishing attacks in 2021. This means half of the users who were a victim of cybercrime fell for a phishing attack. An average of $136 lost per phishing attack amounts to $44.2 million stolen by cyber criminals through phishing attacks in 2021”, part of the report reads.

The victims of cybercrime are targeted using emails, and in 2021, the report said about one billion emails were breached, and the data lost is sold to criminals to enhance further attacks.

“Phishing attacks largely target victims through emails; 2021 saw nearly 1 billion emails exposed, affecting 1 in 5 internet users. These breached databases are sold on black marketplaces on the dark web, meaning cyber criminals can purchase them and use the addresses in phishing attacks”.

The Phishing Trends both in 2021 and 2022

The LinkedIn platform is where phishing email attacks are delivered because of its many users. In the first quarter of 2021, phishing emails attached to LinkedIn were highly clicked at 42%, followed by Facebook at 20% and Twitter at 9%.

LinkedIn42%
Facebook20%
Twitter9%
Table showing phishing percentage attacks volume delivered through emails on social media

And in the first quarter of 2022, there are five top platforms which experienced phishing, with LinkedIn taking the lead at 52%, DHL at 14%, Google at 7%, Microsoft at 6%, and FedEx at 6%.

LinkedIn52%
DHL14%
Google7%
Microsoft6%
FedEx6%
Table showing phishing attack volume delivered through different platforms

The rationales for the increase in the cost of cybercrime are that cybercriminals have developed new attack technologies, many countries have weak cybersecurity, cybercrime has turned into a service or business, and the criminals monetise their targets, according to Internet Society Organization.

In an article published by Security Magazine, which highlighted the state of phishing report for 2022 by SlashNext, it found 255 million attacks had taken place in the form of URL based-links, email messages, and mobile and browser channels, amounting to 61% higher than in 2021.

The report indicated that phishing attacks have shifted to mobile devices and communication channels, primarily targeting employees with scams and personal information theft.

Global Cybercrime statistics 2022

The worldwide trends of cybercrime have wrecked damages lost to institutions, individuals, and information technology devices.

In Europe, the United Kingdom has many cybercrime victims, numbering 4783 as of November 2022, above 40% compared with 2020.

In the first quarter of 2022, Russia had 42.92 million data breaches. However, it dropped to 28.78 million violations in the second quarter of 2022. 

The United States of America accounts for 46% of cybercrime attacks worldwide. In Asia, Pakistan experienced an 83% increase in financial fraud committed through social media between 2018 and 2021.

 In  2018, about 17,560 India-based websites were hacked, including 26,121 one in 2020 were hacked.  In the African continent, Nigeria in 2022 has seen 1616% higher data breaches in the first quarter, 35 472 in the second quarter, and 608,765 in the third quarter.

In Australia, $72 million was lost in 2022 through scams. In September this year, Optus telecommunications company experienced a data breach that victimised about 2.1 million customers, and 9.8 million records were stolen.

In conclusion, with the advance in technology, cyber crimes have become more sophisticated, lucrative, and well-organized. The attackers evade the security layers or protocols of individuals, groups, organisations, institutions, and devices.

The victims of the attacks could be institutions, individuals, and information technology devices or infrastructures.

This blog post was published as part of the Fact-checking and Digital Rights Fellowship in the context of the Africa Digital Rights Fund with support from the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). 

Blog: Why does the digital divide between men and women appear to grow?

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Women and girls are underrepresented online due to digital illiteracy and irregular access to digital devices, platforms, and services.

Writer: Beatrice Amude Paulino

UN Human Rights says that women and girls are nearly 15% less likely to be online than men worldwide. However, experts say that this digital gender gap can be closed by educating women and girls, ensuring they have internet access, and helping them learn new skills.

The case is no different in South Sudan; a female social media user who recently lost her Facebook account to hackers, Nadab Bushari Ali, blames the divide on digital illiteracy and a lack of proper formal education for most women.

“Since April 2022, my account has been hacked, and I lost a lot of things because I tried to log in, and it is not going through. Women are not digitally literate because most of them are not educated,” Nadab Bushari Ali narrated in an interview with 211 Check.

Digital technologies generate, store, or process data. Digital technologies keep growing. Internet and mobile technologies; digital networks, content, services, and applications; old and new media, communication, and information-connected devices and environments; virtual and augmented reality; AI, including machine learning; robotics; automated systems and data analytics; biometrics and biotechnology.

Online experiences and opportunities are essential for kids’ development. Online education, formal and informal learning, health and well-being information and support, creative and cultural practice, civic engagement and expression of ideas and opinions, leisure and peer connections, employment, career information, and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Digital literacy is linked to higher earning potential and new economic opportunities.

Disabled and gender-related access gaps persist in geography, economics, and society. Closing the digital divide for all children requires individualised strategies.

Is there a gap in women’s and girls’ digital adoption compared to men’s and boys?

According to the report of UNICEF 2020, most data available to quantify this gap focuses on adults only, not children. The international Telecommunications Union (ITU) reports that more than 50% of women are offline.

According to the Digital 2022 South Sudan report, at the start of 2022, 27.3% of Facebook’s audience in South Sudan was female, while 72.7% was male and in the same year, 24.9% of females were using Instagram while 75.1% were male.

In early 2022, 24.2% of Facebook messenger users were female, and 75.8% were male. In early 2022, 25.2% of LinkedIn’s audience in South Sudan was female, while 74.8% was male.

Platform% male% female
Facebook72.7% 27.3%
Messenger75.8%25.2% 
Instagram75.1%24.9%
LinkedIn74.8%25.2%
Table showing % of male and female South Sudanese on four major social sites

How vulnerable women are to social media and cybersecurity-related issues?

Safety Comm Coordinator Ariik Robert Ajack says women and girls are susceptible to revenge porn, cyberbullying, and harassment. “There is no specific data, but we have handled many revenge porn cases,” he said.

Helen Ladu, a social media user whose Facebook profile was compromised, stated that the incident caused her to lose a lot of friends and family contacts.

“My account was hacked. I felt so sad and confused because I lost a lot of friends and family contacts,” she told 211 Check.

Noel Taban, a Journalism, Media, and Communication student at the University of Juba, sees things differently. He believes that because of South Sudanese culture and norms, some women are not considered to participate in particular social media platforms.

“Women are used to advertising a pornographic business, to attract customers, especially males. The abuse has led women to become less active or even inactive on social media,” he says.

What is the impact of the gender digital divide?

Girls and women cannot participate equally in our increasingly digital societies unless they have equal access to technology and the internet. Girls and women are held back in this area in every aspect of their lives, including their ability to speak out and campaign on issues that matter to them.

Furthermore, if girls and women are not involved in creating digital tools and online content, existing inequalities may be exacerbated.

How can we bridge the digital divide?

To bridge the gender digital divide, African governments must implement legislative, policy, administrative, and practical measures to address existing structural inequalities in income, education, and employment opportunities and to remove political, economic, legal, cultural, technological, and social barriers that prevent women and girls from using the internet and ICT. These measures should ensure more women and girls have affordable internet and digital devices, meaningful connectivity, and good digital literacy and skills. To close the digital gender gap, countries must collect and share gender- and age-disaggregated data on ICT access and use it to track and evaluate progress and shape policies to promote women’s and girls’ digital rights on the continent.

Empowering women and girls with internet and digital technologies could help them start businesses and access education, health, social, and financial services. It could also empower women and girls to participate in governance, associate, assemble, and express themselves on digital rights issues, and develop relevant content. Increase women’s leadership and decision-making roles in ICT.

Bridging the digital divide for women and girls is both complex and daunting. Still, hopefully, if the public and private institutions and organisations stand to address it, the gap will be reduced.

This blog post was published as part of the Fact-checking and Digital Rights Fellowship in the context of the Africa Digital Rights Fund with support from the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA).

Fact-check:  Is the US Federal Reserve planning to purge old dollar notes in 2023? No, it’s false

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No publicly available announcement by any United States government agency claims the American government has decided to restrict the acceptance of old dollar notes printed below 2021

Writer:  Ochaya Jackson

US $ 100 notes

A claim shared widely among WhatsApp users that the United States government has planned to contain “any US dollar below the 2021 printed date” is false.

The move, which according to the claim, was reached on 2nd November 2022 in Washington DC, aims to get rid of the illegal billions of dollars stockpiled in the African continent originating from illicit activities relating to drugs, terrorism, kidnapping, and ill-gotten cash by politicians. 

And to enforce the decision, the central banks in Africa will be assigned officials from the United States Federal Reserve to monitor the inflows and outflows of dollar transactions.

“Sequel to the just concluded extraordinary meeting held in Washington DC on Nov. 2nd 2022 between the United States Federal Reserve Bank, Office of the Comptroller of Currency, IMF, World-Bank and Governors of Africa’s Central Banks, the United States Govt has set a date for restriction on the acceptable legal tender note of US Dollar which will commence on Jan. 31st 2023”, part of the message claim reads.

“The restriction implies that any US Dollar note below 2021 printed date will no longer be accepted or be a legal tender anywhere in the world… This effort is to curb billions of illegal monies in dollar bills warehoused around the African continent emanating from drug-related, terrorism, kidnapping and money from corrupt politicians”, the claim added.

The screenshot of the widely circulating claim on the WhatsApp

211 Check established that the claim appeared to have been doctored in other circumstances, like in Nigeria, especially when the central bank of Nigeria decided in October 2022 to redesign Naira. 

The false claim popped up and was forwarded widely in WhatsApp groups citing Reuters’ report that the United States was controlling the acceptance of dollars below 2021, which turned out to be false after PR Nigeria fact-checked it. 

No publicly available announcement by any United States government agency claims the American government has decided to restrict the acceptance of old dollar notes printed below 2021. 

However, the federal reserve only on 3rd November announced the pricing adjustment, which will be effective on 3rd January 2023; for payment services it provides to depository institutions like clearing of checks, ACH transactions, wholesale payment and settlement services, according to a press release posted on its website.

And the fact sheet from the US federal reserve website indicates that “all U.S. currency remains legal tender, regardless of when it was issued”.

Conclusion

The claim that the US government has planned to restrict the acceptance of old dollar notes printed below 2021 is false.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

Fact-check: Did a Malawian man attempt to sneak into South Sudan by hanging on a plane’s wing from Malawi?

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No, the man was not a Malawian but a Nigerian in Lagos at the Murtala Muhammed International airport enroute to Port  Har-court.

Writer: Ghai Aketch

Earlier this week, a claim showing an image of a man hanging on plane’s wing published by Smart Family TV went viral  in South Sudan captioned as: 

“Malawian man was seen hanging on the wing of an aeroplane and said he wanted to travel abroad seeking a better life, the plane was from Malawi to Juba, South Sudan,” the post reads. 

Screenshot of the post on Facebook

However, our reverse image and keywords searches returned the same image of a Nigerian man who illegally accessed the runway and climbed on a plane’s wing when it was preparing for a take off at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on 19 July 2019. 

According to the Azman Airline, the pilot radioed the security after the authorised man was struggling to access the plane’s cabin, posing danger to the passengers on board. 

According to reports, he climbed on the plane’s wings after dropping his bag in the engine. Fortunately, a passenger on board was quick to capture the unexpected scene on 19 July 2019 that went viral. 

The man was later identified by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria as a Nigerian-born Usman Adamu while in police custody at that time.  

Conclusion:

The information purporting South Sudan and Malawi is false. The original publications clearly indicated the Azman Airline was enroute to Port Har-court. But not Juba, South Sudan.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

Fact-check: Did South Sudanese fans destroy seats in the Juba National Stadium?

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The images showing broken chairs are those of Al-Hilal Stadium in Sudan during a match played between South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Writer: Ghai Aketch

Screenshot of the Facebook post

No, the CECAFA Under-20 match between South Sudan and Uganda wasn’t played in Juba, but in Sudan’s Al-Hilal Football Stadium at Omdurman on November 11, 2022. It ended without any misconduct. 

However, after the South Sudan and Uganda U-20 match ended 2:1 in favour of Uganda, misleading information went viral on social media claiming that the furious South Sudan fans destroyed the stadium’s seats in Juba after the 2:1 loss to the Ugandan Crane. This is false.

According to the football governing body, CECAFA, the seats were broken after the final whistle when South Sudan won by 4:2 penalty shoot-out against Ethiopia on November 8 at Al-Hilal Stadium, Sudan. But, out of excitement the spectators broke chairs, damaged the barriers and stormed the pitch.

Subsequently, the CECAFA disciplinary committee, after learning of the acts, fined South Sudan $1,000 US dollars and to also repair the damaged parts of the facility.

The Juba Nationality Stadium seats were not destroyed by the agitated spectators after the South Sudan national team Bright Stars’ U-20 2:1 loss to the Uganda Crane team. Moreover, the match was played in Khartoum, Sudan. 

Additionally, the Juba National Stadium is not yet inaugurated to host regional matches due to the ongoing construction.

Therefore, the images showing broken chairs are those of Al-Hilal Stadium in Sudan, where the match was played.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim that South Sudanese football fans destroyed seats in the new Juba National Stadium after a home team loss to Uganda false.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

Fact-check: Phishing link for the University of Chicago Scholarships

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Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A WhatsApp message with a link widely forwarded to individuals and groups about the University of Chicago’s fully funded scholarship offers for 2022 to study in the United States of America is false. 

The WhatsApp message has a phishing link that redirects to a one-page site with what looks like a basic “Scholarship Application Form”. 

Phishing is sending fake or fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or install malware on the victim’s machine, according to Cisco technology company. 

“The American Scholarship is a yearly program which is aimed at Undergraduates, Masters and PhD Students who wants (sic) to study in the United States,” the WhatsApp message partly reads. 

Screenshot of the false WhatsApp message about the University of Chicago scholarship

The scholarship targets the age group of 14 to 50 years, and it covers full tuition fee, medical allowance, Covid-19, instant visa approval, permission to work and study, and hostel accommodation, according to the widely shared claim. 

Screenshot showing the header of the alleged University of Chicago’s scholarship site 

Phishing trick 

211 Check looks at the claim, and it appears to be a phishing tactic deployed by unknown malicious actors to get passwords, phone numbers, names, locations, and email addresses from people using a one-page form on the phishing website. 

After filling in the personal information, it directs to three objective questions where it asks what one’s employment status is, their marital status, their age range. Then after answering, a pop-up message appears informing the applicants of approval with string conditions first to invite fifteen friends or five groups on WhatsApp. 

“After checking your applications, You have been approved to study at the University of Chicago IN{UNITED STATES} for free–Your UNITED STATES SCHOLARSHIP VISA FORM will be available immediately after you click the “Invite Friends/Group” button below to share this information with 15 friends or five groups on WhatsApp so That They Can Also Aware of the SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMM,” it reads. 

“Note: If you do not complete this step correctly, The VISA FORM page will not load,” the pop-up message warns. 

The screenshot of the pop-up message after filling out the form 

What is there to know about the University of Chicago and its scholarship?

The University of Chicago was founded in 1890 as an urban research university and is a prestigious, recognised global university. It is the third-ranking best University college in the United States, after Michigan Institute of Technology and Stanford. 

211 Check established that fully funded University of Chicago scholarships exist for 2022-2023 for online applications. There are different categories of scholarships, including undergraduate scholarships, international financial aid, merit scholarships, graduate scholarships, fellowships, and research assistantships and teachings. 

The eligibility criteria for the scholarships range from 4.48-grade point average (GPA) or its equivalent in the grading system of the applicants’ country, minimum education of 14 years for the undergraduate, a 4-year bachelor’s degree for the master’s program, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree for a doctoral program among others. 

The admission procedure starts by selecting a course at the University of Chicago admission office, creating an online profile for admission applications, filling out the form with relevant information, attaching the required documents, and submitting the form. 

The benefits of the scholarship involve partial, discounted, or full waiver from tuition fee expenses, a voucher for food and book buying, monthly stipend allowance, residence expense funding or facility, travel grant funding or facility, and library access on campus. 

Comparative analysis:

There are mismatches between the circulated WhatsApp message and the scholarship information from the University of Chicago’s website.

The claim’s admission procedure is not solid, the message texts are full of grammatical errors, the webpage picture is doctored, and the condition of sharing the claim with more friends or groups on WhatsApp clearly shows it is not credible. 

211 Check also found out that the moment the link is clicked as it directs to the webpage, in the background, it downloads and installs malware into the devices or computers of the users. 

The whois information:

According to Whois, which can be used to investigate the registration information for a domain, the phishing link‘s domain was registered on August 30th, 2022.

A screenshot shows the registration of the phishing link’s domain

However, the Whois information for the University of Chicago’s domain indicates that the domain record was activated in 1991, last updated in July 2022, and expires in July 2024.

The screenshot of the whois’ information on University of Chicago website

In conclusion,

The viral message about the University of Chicago scholarship being widely shared on WhatsApp is false.

The University of Chicago’s website and scholarship programs are here.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

Fact-check: Is MTN Uganda Offering 10 GB Free data to its subscribers for 24th Anniversary? No, it is false.

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MTN Uganda offers 24 free minutes of MTN to MTN calls to celebrate its 24th anniversary. The link circulating is malicious and doesn’t represent MTN

Writer: Beatrice Amude Paulino

On November 6, 2022, MTN Uganda celebrated 24 years of providing telecommunications services in Uganda. On the same day, a WhatsApp message began circulating with the untrue claim that MTN Uganda would provide 10 GB of free data to commemorate its 24th anniversary.

“MTN UGANDA At 24.  It feels good to be 24. We just want to celebrate with you, our dear customers. We are giving you 10GB free data to chat with everyone that is dear to you. Let’s celebrate our birthday together. Check Links Below to see if you qualify to get Free Data,” that WhatsApp message that has been doing the rounds reads in part.

Screenshot of the widely WhatsApp message

When you click on the links above, you will be taken to a one-page website titled: “We are 24. Happy Birthday to us. You’ve 10GB of Free Data Valid for 1 Month.” It then instructs users to press a “GET YOURS NOW” button, which prompts them to enter their phone number. You are eligible for the data regardless of how many times you click.

The one-page site users are directed to when they click on the links

Screenshot of an alleged verification process after entering phone number  

Screenshot of a prompt on the site asking people to send the information to 12 groups and friends on WhatsApp

But, is MTN Uganda offering 10 GB free data to celebrate its 24th anniversary? No and here is why?

211 Check finds out that MTN Uganda announced on twitter that they were offering 24 free minutes of MTN to MTN calls in celebration of its 24th anniversary.

‘’Thank you Uganda for being our home for 24 years. To celebrate all our loyal customers, we are giving you 24 free MTN to MTN minutes to talk to all your loved ones today. Senkyu for being on MTN,’ it announced on Twitter.

Some complains to MTN Uganda on Twitter:

Charles Amone @CharlesAmone2

‘’This is good, but there is also a link moving around for 10gbs data. And needed to be shared to 12 groups. MTN does not work like that. If it’s to be given to all, why must I share to groups and get it. I will buy data. Thanks for minutes though.’’

Dr. Nzanzu Joshua @NzanzuT

‘’MTN helps fraudsters to fraud Ugandans through a message they put up when a customer calls their helpline. These F.stars have sent a hodgepodge of links and are frauding us left right and center. MD hereby notified. Why not just send them to every active no?’’

MTN Uganda replies to the unverified claim of the free 10 GB data:

‘’Hello, we are sorry about that. Kindly ignore any information not sent through our main channels, from Twitter, Facebook, 0312120000 or Whatsapp 0772123100. Also report suspicious information for action,” MTN Uganda said.

Screenshot of MTN Uganda tweet reply.

The website impersonating the official MTN Uganda website can be found at blogspot.com, a free service provided by Google. The official MTN Uganda website can be found at https://www.mtn.co.ug/.

According to the whois record, the domain name of the malicious website was registered on December 11th, 2021, which is a little under a year ago.

A screenshot showing the Whois information for the fake site

Whois record for https://www.mtn.co.ug/ 

A screenshot showing the Whois information for MTN Uganda

Conclusion:

The claim that MTN is giving away 10 GB worth of free data as part of celebrating its 24 years in Uganda has been proven false by 211 Check. The links going around are not from MTN and are malicious.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.