Hello again!

I'm Craig Silverman and this is the first version of a restarted newsletter about online rumors, fake news, and misinformation.

If you're wondering why you're receiving it, here's a bit of background: You signed up to receive the newsletter from Emergent.info, my rumor-tracking website. It's been dormant since March 2015. That's also the last time I sent this newsletter.

I'm now covering fake news and online misinformation as the media editor for BuzzFeed News. This newsletter will be a quick digital briefing on those topics.

I will only email you when there's something to talk about. Also note that this is my personal list — I will not sell or share your info. Sound good? Read the first edition below. You can unsubscribe anytime at the the bottom of this email.

Germany Is The Next Fake News Hotspot

Germans go to the polls in a federal election later this year. The country's political and security establishments want to make sure they don't see fake news explode like it did during the US election. Some stories to get you up to speed:

A good backgrounder on concerns in the country, from the Christian Science Monitor.
A deep dive from me and Alberto Nardelli that looks at how far-right and hyperpartisan websites are already spreading fake news, misleading claims, and conspiracy theories about Angela Merkel.
The above image is one of many posts that have spread on Facebook that accuse a Syrian refugee in Germany of terrorism. He's had enough and is taking Facebook to court.
Speaking of Facebook, it announced earlier today that it's expanding its anti-fake news initiative to Germany.

My Analysis on Facebook and Germany: Facebook's anti-fake news expansion to Germany happened really quickly, and without everything in place. The company announced it today — a Sunday — and the associated features are not yet active. That could take a few weeks. Also, the fact-checking partner for Facebook in Germany is not yet a signatory of the International Fact-Checker Network's code of principles, though that will change soon.

Facebook is feeling the heat from German lawmakers and wanted to show it's ready to take action. Also, the court hearing for the aforementioned refugee's inunction against Facebook will happen in just a few weeks, and this initiative is something you can expect the company to point to.

News Of Note

This is a great case study of how misinformation about the number of US tanks in Europe was pushed out by fringe and conspiracy websites in several countries. (The above image shows the sites involved.)
Meryl Streep tore into Donald Trump during her speech at the Golden Globes, and that set off a wave of fake news stories about her. Catch up on them at Snopes.
Trolls on 4chan falsely tried to claim they made up key information contained in that explosive, unverified dossier about Donald Trump and Russia. Didn't happen.
The BBC is setting up a dedicated team to debunk fake news. I'd expect them to partner with Facebook when the anti-fake news initiative rolls out in the UK.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your feedback, and for you to follow me on Twitter.

—Craig