WhatsApp has said warnings about cyberattacks targeting Jewish people are a hoax with no basis in reality. The Meta-owned platform has debunked several messages widely circulating on social media platforms that warn Jewish people will be the target of cyberattacks through forwarded messages. But WhatsApp communications manager Emily Westcott told The Independent that the forwarded messages, which have been widely shared on the platform as well as across other social media including X/Twitter, are a hoax. The clarification comes amid the ongoing conflict in Israel after an unprecedented surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday. The hoax messages said clicking on pictures of the fighting shared on WhatsApp as a file called “Seismic Waves CARD” would quickly enable phone hacking if opened. Crypto influencer Scott Melker, who has nearly a million followers on X, was one of the users who shared the false warning. “Do not open it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and cannot be stopped in any way,” Mr Melker’s post on his verified X account falsely claimed. Ms Westcott pointed out that the same rumour circulated after an earthquake struck Morocco last month that left nearly 3,000 people dead and thosands more injured. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, messages began circulating on social networks that photos of the quake shared in a file named “Seismic Waves CARD” on platforms would enable hackers to access one’s phone if opened. “The file is called Seismic Waves CARD, don’t open it or see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends,” the false message had read. WhatsApp also told the fact-checking site Snopes that these messages were “false”. Another Italy-based fact-checking website, Bufale.net, also said the purported “hack” was a hoax. The recent use of the same message adds to the steep levels of misinformation and disinformation being spread following the conflict in Israel. Elon Musk, the multibillionaire owner of X, has also come under heavy criticism for the spread of misinformation on his platform over the attack. The Tesla titan pleaded with X users on Sunday to try and stick to the facts and “stay as close to the truth as possible”. Old videos are being repackaged and circulated on X as if they are from the most recent attack on Israel. One such widely shared video, that falsely claimed to show a Hamas militant shooting down an Israeli helicopter, was later found to be a clip from a video game. Another clip of Israel bombing a Gazan office tower that was shared widely was found to be from fighting that actually occured in 2021. X has not immediately responded to The Independent’s request for comment. Read More Huge crowd chants ‘free Palestine’ in front of Israel’s London embassy Aid groups scramble to help as Israel-Hamas war intensifies and Gaza blockade complicates efforts More than 10 Britons feared dead or missing as Netanyahu exacts revenge on Hamas X introduces limits to prevent non-paying users from replying to posts New discovery is ‘holy grail’ breakthrough in search for aliens, scientist say Earth hit by a huge solar storm that would devastate civilisation, trees show

A former executive at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance accuses the tech giant of serving as a “propaganda tool” for the Chinese government

Flat Earther David Weiss was left humiliated after debating a professor on the shape of our Earth. Weiss regularly interviews people on the subject on his show The Flat Earth Podcast, but threw himself into unfamiliar territory last year when he switched out being the interviewer for the interviewee. Weiss appeared on Professor Dave Explains in an episode title 'Professor Dave Humiliates Flat Earthed David Weiss'. During the hour long episode the pair debated Flat Earth believes, with Weiss claiming that the shape of the Earth came from astronomers who Professor Dave "doesn't know". "You've never met these men, you don't know anything about these men other than the stories that the controllers of this world tell you," Weiss told the academic. Like most Flat Earthers Weiss seemed to have an answer for everything, well, almost everything. Because when the discussion arrive at Earth's movement within space, Weiss struggled. "You think that we're spinning at 1000 miles an hour, and we don't feel it? And we're changing directions?" Weiss said on Earth's orbit. "How is that possible? How about when the Earth comes around towards the Sun in the winter, it's speeding up and taking its sharpest turn, and we don't feel any go those forces?" Naturally, Professor Dave made counterpoints at Weiss' argument. "Why don't you go ahead and get in a car, and do a 360 turn and make it take a year. Are you going to feel that?" Professor Dave asked Weiss, who acknowledged that it takes a year for the Earth to travel around the Sun. "Let's break it down," Professor Dave continued. "360 degrees, 365 days, that's about a degree a [day] right? Why don't you get in a car and drive for 24 hours, and over 24 hours veer by one degree. Are you going to feel that?" Professor Dave Humiliates Flat Earther David Weiss (DITRH Debunked Live) www.youtube.com Weiss was silent after this, with the participants on the Zoom call bursting out into laughter from Weiss' inability to respond. Weiss' humiliation now has over 4 million views. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Scammers cloned the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch and targeted a Spain-based company called Peabody Films

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It all started when Mizkif announced that Team Athletes had won against Team Nerds

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 8, 2023--

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 21, 2023--

A rocket carrying a lunar landing craft has blasted off on Russia’s first moon mission in nearly 50 years, racing to land on Earth’s satellite ahead of an Indian spacecraft

By Akash Sriram and Anna Tong Google-parent Alphabet's cloud business suffered as long-time rival Microsoft's took off in