After the 2,885-meter-high Marapi volcano in Indonesia's West Sumatra province erupted on Sunday, killing at least 11 hikers, video clips of eruptions unrelated to the actual event spread on social media.
On X, formerly Twitter, video of a pillar of fire exploding from the sea has been posted on multiple accounts, claiming it's from Sunday's eruption. On one account alone, it has racked up more than 1.2 million views. But it turned out the video had nothing to do with the actual eruption. It's believed to be CG footage shown on video-sharing app TikTok around September.
Fake videos and information
Another fake video appeared after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near the Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday.
The video posted on X showed water sloshing out of a bathtub in a violently shaking room, claiming it illustrates the moment the earthquake struck. It has been viewed more than 200,000 times but is believed to have actually been taken in Japan when an earthquake hit off Fukushima Prefecture in February 2021.
NHK also confirmed that other videos of past disasters, including tsunamis and building collapses, have been posted on social media and claim to show Saturday's earthquake. There are also posts saying the quake foreshadows a Nankai Trough earthquake, without giving scientific backing. Scientists warn there is an 80 percent chance such a quake will hit Japan's Pacific coast in the next 30 years with potentially devastating results.
Social media users need to be cautious
Experts say fake information and misinformation can easily spread after disasters, just as it has in the past, but that generative artificial intelligence technology helps make such footage and posts more real. They add that social media users need to be cautious about what they view and share.
