AAP FactCheck
aapfactcheck.bsky.social
AAP FactCheck
@aapfactcheck.bsky.social
Checking misinformation by public figures and on social media. IFCN signatory and Meta fact-checking partner.
A new internet code aimed at preventing children from viewing harmful online content has sparked false claims about how Australians can access the web.

https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/googling-without-id-is-not-banned-under-new-regulations/
Googling without ID is not banned under new regulations
A new internet code aimed at preventing children from viewing harmful online content has sparked false claims about how Australians can access the web.
www.aap.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 9:06 PM
A pro-gun MP has aired several falsehoods about weapons, crime statistics and the circumstances of the Bondi attack as he opposed the government's gun reforms.

https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/katters-bondi-attack-gun-crime-claims-dont-stack-up/
Katter's gun crime, Bondi attack claims don't stack up
The pro-gun MP aired several falsehoods about weapons, crime statistics and the circumstances of the Bondi attack as he opposed the government's gun reforms.
www.aap.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 7:06 AM
Artificial intelligence has been used to generate an image of a police officer who survived the Bondi Beach massacre in hospital with bandages covering his eyes.

https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fake-news-pages-share-ai-image-of-wounded-bondi-cop/
Fake news pages share AI image of wounded Bondi cop
Artificial intelligence has been used to create an image of a bloodied police officer lying in a hospital bed, with bandages covering his eyes.
www.aap.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 2:09 AM
Official data shows the proportion of homes owned by Chinese investors has been massively exaggerated in social media claims.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ch...
Chinese investors don't own two-thirds of homes
Official data shows the proportion of homes owned by Chinese investors has been massively exaggerated in social media claims.
www.aap.com.au
January 21, 2026 at 8:27 AM
A UN document being shared online is not a plan for "replacement migration", it's a demographic study from the turn of the millennium.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/de...
Decades-old UN report isn't a replacement migration plan
A UN document being shared online is not a plan for
www.aap.com.au
January 21, 2026 at 8:26 AM
A video showing green treetops in an area recently damaged by a major bushfire is entirely consistent with the type of blaze, experts say.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fo...
Footage of green treetops after bushfire sparks conspiracy theories
A video showing green treetops in an area recently damaged by a major bushfire is entirely consistent with the type of blaze, experts say.
www.aap.com.au
January 21, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Claims on social media that Australia has already reached net zero are based on a misunderstanding of how progress is calculated and what counts towards the target.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/au...
Australia net zero claims based on faulty calculations
Claims on social media that Australia has already reached net zero are based on a misunderstanding of how progress is calculated and what counts towards the target.
www.aap.com.au
January 21, 2026 at 2:07 AM
A man who filmed someone squatting on an Adelaide street was not arrested for harassment, despite online claims.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
No truth to arrest claims over viral toilet video
A man who filmed someone squatting on an Adelaide street was not arrested for harassment, despite online claims.
www.aap.com.au
January 21, 2026 at 2:06 AM
An edit of footage from a press conference is being used to imply that the prime minister dodged a question about radical Islam.
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ed...
Edited clip makes PM appear to dodge 'radical Islam' question
An edit of footage from a press conference is being used to imply that the prime minister dodged a question about radical Islam.
www.aap.com.au
January 20, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Alex de Minaur has been the subject of a slew of false posts, embroiling him in a supposed public spat with the prime minister.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/di...
Disinformation pages serve fake quotes from Aussie tennis star
Alex de Minaur has been the subject of a slew of false posts, embroiling him in a supposed public spat with the prime minister
www.aap.com.au
January 18, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Falsehoods about the record of former high court justice Virginia Bell have circulated amid criticism of her appointment.
www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fa...
False claims spread about Bondi royal commission head
Falsehoods about the record of former high court justice Virginia Bell have circulated amid criticism of her appointment.
www.aap.com.au
January 18, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Usman Khawaja's criticisms of anti-immigration and Islamophobic views in his final press conference as an Australian Test cricketer is being misrepresented online.

aap.com.au/factcheck/fa...
aap.com.au
January 15, 2026 at 4:41 AM
Homeowners are being targeted by social media ads falsely claiming the government will cover the entire bill for a new solar or battery system.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/so...
Solar rebate claims are too good to be true
Homeowners are being targeted by social media ads falsely claiming the government will cover the entire bill for a new solar or battery system.
www.aap.com.au
January 15, 2026 at 2:54 AM
Images falsely claimed to show the woman appointed to lead the Royal Commission into anti-Semitism are in fact a former SBS journalist.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
No, royal commission head not pictured at pro-Palestine rally
Images falsely claimed to show the woman appointed to lead the Royal Commission into anti-Semitism are in fact of a former SBS journalist.
www.aap.com.au
January 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM
A legal conspiracy theory that Australian federal electorates aren't legitimate is based on a misinterpretation of a century-old British law, experts say.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/cl...
Claim Australian electorates are invalid is 'absolute nonsense'
A legal conspiracy theory that Australian federal electorates aren't legitimate is based on a misinterpretation of a century-old British law, experts say.
www.aap.com.au
January 14, 2026 at 10:24 PM
From missing fingers to heads that don't fit bodies, dramatic images of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro's capture on social media are riddled with the hallmarks of AI generation.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ma...
Maduro's capture in Venezuela unleashes flood of fake pictures and videos
From missing fingers to heads that don't fit bodies, dramatic images of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro's capture on social media are riddled with the hallmarks of AI generation.
www.aap.com.au
January 14, 2026 at 5:20 AM
False claims about a video of a military plane involving the US and Venezuela can't tell the difference between the Brisbane River and the Thames in London.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/vi...
Video shows Brisbane flyover, not US forces seizing Venezuelan gold
False claims about a video of a military plane involving the US and Venezuela can't tell the difference between the Brisbane River and the Thames in London.
www.aap.com.au
January 12, 2026 at 10:31 PM
The US military operation to oust Venezuela's president has sparked baseless claims about a link between the Latin American country and Australian elections.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
No, Venezuelan voting machines are not used in Australia
The US military operation to oust Venezuela's president has sparked baseless claims about a link between the Latin American country and Australian elections.
www.aap.com.au
January 12, 2026 at 4:53 AM
False claims about Australia's Afghan migrant intake policy widely exaggerate the numbers, wrongly describe it as indefinite and misattribute it to the wrong government.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/cl...
Claims about Afghan visa numbers under 'forever' policy don't add up
False claims about Australia's Afghan migrant intake policy wildly exaggerate the numbers, wrongly describe it as indefinite and misattribute it to the wrong government.
www.aap.com.au
January 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Several social pages are publishing fake images and quotes from former cricketer Damien Martyn's family while he battles meningitis in hospital.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/di...
Disinformation pages exploit cricketer's health battle
Several social pages are publishing fake images and quotes from former cricketer Damien Martyn's family while he battles meningitis in hospital.
www.aap.com.au
January 8, 2026 at 2:35 AM
A prolific political disinformation operation continues to spread fabricated quotes about prominent senators and government ministers.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/di...
Disinformation pages concoct spat between PM, treasurer
A prolific political disinformation operation continues to spread fabricated quotes about prominent senators and government ministers.
www.aap.com.au
January 7, 2026 at 4:17 AM
Despite social media claims that Australians are being slugged with seven new taxes, there's no evidence that the government has implemented any of them.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/se...
Seven 'new taxes' scaring social media users don't actually exist
Despite social media claims that Australians are being slugged with seven new taxes, there's no evidence that the government has implemented any of them.
www.aap.com.au
January 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Claims on social media that one state is secretly implementing the "toughest road laws in decades" have been debunked by transport authorities.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no...
No truth to 'tough' new road rules claim
Claims on social media that one state is secretly implementing the
www.aap.com.au
January 5, 2026 at 2:53 AM
A viral video that claims to show police thwarting another terrorist attack in Sydney actually shows officers arresting a man who refused to leave a pub.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/sy...
Sydney pub arrest video falsely claimed to be terror-related
A viral video that claims to show police thwarting another terrorist attack in Sydney actually shows officers arresting a man who refused to leave a pub.
www.aap.com.au
December 25, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Social media users are sharing a misinformation article that falsely claims to present evidence that the Bondi Beach shootings were a set up.

www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ar...
Article headline baselessly claims Bondi Beach attack conspiracy
Social media users are sharing an misinformation article that falsely claims to present evidence that the Bondi Beach shootings were a set-up.
www.aap.com.au
December 25, 2025 at 10:03 PM