'Bot' accounts swamp Spanish social media with misleading flood claims

euronews (in English)

As Spain reels from its worst flooding in decades, misleading posts about DANA — the phenomenon that caused it — have been going viral on social media.

Transcript

00:00Bots amplify misinformation on Spain's floods

00:07As Spain recovers from its worst inundation in decades

00:11Many misleading posts about Dana the phenomenon that caused it have been going viral on social media

00:19Bots on X are replicating tweets with disinformation and violent messages from other users

00:26To increase their reach one of these false claims involves the car park at the Bonaire shopping center in

00:33Valencia the post claims that around

00:361,000 people died in the car park with at least 100 cars inside

00:41This message was spread on social media platforms and telegram channels

00:46Leading the National Police to launch a rescue operation

00:50However

00:51Spanish police found a practically empty car park with 20 vehicles and no report of deaths or citizens inside

01:10Another misleading claim that has been circulating involves Christmas lights

01:15These tweets show pictures and a video of Valencia City Council staff

01:20Supposedly putting up Christmas decorations during the rescue period

01:25Suggesting a misuse of public resources

01:28However, if we take a closer look we can identify the name of a private company

01:33Spain's public sector contracting platform shows the company began the work in October

01:402024 in a press release the City Council also stated that the private company has temporarily stopped

01:47installing the lights

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