Shayan Sardarizadeh
@shayan86.bsky.social
BBC Verify senior journalist | verification, AI, disinformation, conspiracy theories, open source investigations | shayan.sardarizadeh@bbc.co.uk
Pinned
Shayan Sardarizadeh
@shayan86.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hello to all the new people migrating from X. I'm a BBC journalist and fact-checker.
Please flag any potentially misleading viral claims either on Bluesky or any other social media platform that needs fact-checking via DM, and I'll do the rest.
Thank you!
Please flag any potentially misleading viral claims either on Bluesky or any other social media platform that needs fact-checking via DM, and I'll do the rest.
Thank you!
Reposted by Shayan Sardarizadeh
Last month, I got a commission to write an open-source data project on the recent Radiohead tour for the BBC Verify live page (and plotted a speculative social media video). Yes I was. It didn’t work out… As the year closes, I thought you may like to read it. Merry Christmas.
THREAD...
📷Alex Lake
THREAD...
📷Alex Lake
December 26, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Last month, I got a commission to write an open-source data project on the recent Radiohead tour for the BBC Verify live page (and plotted a speculative social media video). Yes I was. It didn’t work out… As the year closes, I thought you may like to read it. Merry Christmas.
THREAD...
📷Alex Lake
THREAD...
📷Alex Lake
This purported "suicide" video of Jeffrey Epstein in his prison cell is in the latest batch of Epstein files. But it's a fake 3D render posted to YouTube in 2020.
It's in the files because a Florida conspiracy theorist sent an email to federal investigators in March 2021 asking if it was real.
It's in the files because a Florida conspiracy theorist sent an email to federal investigators in March 2021 asking if it was real.
December 24, 2025 at 5:09 AM
This purported "suicide" video of Jeffrey Epstein in his prison cell is in the latest batch of Epstein files. But it's a fake 3D render posted to YouTube in 2020.
It's in the files because a Florida conspiracy theorist sent an email to federal investigators in March 2021 asking if it was real.
It's in the files because a Florida conspiracy theorist sent an email to federal investigators in March 2021 asking if it was real.
The US State Department says it will deny visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner and the heads of three European organisations combating online misinformation, for seeking to "coerce" US social media platforms into "censorship".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
US denies visas to ex-EU commissioner and others over social media rules
Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, says a
www.bbc.co.uk
December 24, 2025 at 4:58 AM
The US State Department says it will deny visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner and the heads of three European organisations combating online misinformation, for seeking to "coerce" US social media platforms into "censorship".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Trains were cancelled in Lancaster, UK, after an AI-generated image that seemed to show major damage to a railway bridge was posted on social media following an earthquake.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Trains cancelled over fake bridge collapse image
Rail services were cancelled after a 'hoax' picture of a damaged bridge appeared on social media
www.bbc.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Trains were cancelled in Lancaster, UK, after an AI-generated image that seemed to show major damage to a railway bridge was posted on social media following an earthquake.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The US State Department is instructing its staff to deny visas to those engaged in activities like combatting misinformation, disinformation or false narratives, fact-checking, content moderation, compliance, and trust and safety.
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
State Department to deny visas to fact checkers and others, citing 'censorship'
The order is focused on applicants for H-1B visas, which are frequently used by tech companies and is part of a campaign by the Trump administration against online content moderation.
www.npr.org
December 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The US State Department is instructing its staff to deny visas to those engaged in activities like combatting misinformation, disinformation or false narratives, fact-checking, content moderation, compliance, and trust and safety.
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
Compare the YouTube thumbnail with the actual scene in the video.
December 1, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Compare the YouTube thumbnail with the actual scene in the video.
@thomascopeland.bsky.social and I try to explain why the rollout of user location data by X matters and how it's changing the conversation on the platform after some high-engagement political accounts were criticised for misleading users.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKr3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKr3...
X's new location feature exposes misleading politics accounts | Global News Podcast
YouTube video by BBC News
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:47 AM
@thomascopeland.bsky.social and I try to explain why the rollout of user location data by X matters and how it's changing the conversation on the platform after some high-engagement political accounts were criticised for misleading users.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKr3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKr3...
Dozens of high-engagement accounts on X, including some pro and anti-Trump users, have been accused of misleading users following the roll-out of a new transparency feature that shows user locations.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
How X's new location feature exposed big US politics accounts
Dozens of pro-Trump accounts are being accused of misleading followers after the social media site began showing user locations.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Dozens of high-engagement accounts on X, including some pro and anti-Trump users, have been accused of misleading users following the roll-out of a new transparency feature that shows user locations.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in areas of Gaza that have remained under its control since the ceasefire with Hamas started on 10 October, satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify show.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in Gaza since ceasefire
Entire neighbourhoods controlled by Israel have been levelled in less than a month, the images show.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in areas of Gaza that have remained under its control since the ceasefire with Hamas started on 10 October, satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify show.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A viral online video, which claims to show "Ukrainian soldiers" threaten to kill Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk, is fake.
Not only do the "soldiers" in the clip speak Ukrainian with a notably strong Russian accent, but it has hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm-1516.
Not only do the "soldiers" in the clip speak Ukrainian with a notably strong Russian accent, but it has hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm-1516.
November 7, 2025 at 3:32 PM
A viral online video, which claims to show "Ukrainian soldiers" threaten to kill Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk, is fake.
Not only do the "soldiers" in the clip speak Ukrainian with a notably strong Russian accent, but it has hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm-1516.
Not only do the "soldiers" in the clip speak Ukrainian with a notably strong Russian accent, but it has hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm-1516.
We used eyewitness accounts from train passengers and stabbing victims alongside verified video and police statements to build a picture of the 20 minutes when the attack on board a train near Huntingdon unfolded.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The 20 terrifying minutes endured by train attack passengers
BBC Verify uses witness statements and video evidence to piece together a timeline of a devastating stabbing.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 6:17 PM
We used eyewitness accounts from train passengers and stabbing victims alongside verified video and police statements to build a picture of the 20 minutes when the attack on board a train near Huntingdon unfolded.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
If you search TikTok for Hurricane Melissa videos right now, you'll see a flood of AI-generated and fake videos.
These AI videos include eye of the storm views from above, sharks swimming in floodwaters, huge waves battering towns, destroyed airports, and fake news reports.
These AI videos include eye of the storm views from above, sharks swimming in floodwaters, huge waves battering towns, destroyed airports, and fake news reports.
October 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
If you search TikTok for Hurricane Melissa videos right now, you'll see a flood of AI-generated and fake videos.
These AI videos include eye of the storm views from above, sharks swimming in floodwaters, huge waves battering towns, destroyed airports, and fake news reports.
These AI videos include eye of the storm views from above, sharks swimming in floodwaters, huge waves battering towns, destroyed airports, and fake news reports.
The new Pentagon Press Corps will include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' website Infowars.
It comes after the departure of most mainstream journalists over their refusal to sign up to the department's new restrictive policies on reporting.
It comes after the departure of most mainstream journalists over their refusal to sign up to the department's new restrictive policies on reporting.
October 23, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The new Pentagon Press Corps will include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' website Infowars.
It comes after the departure of most mainstream journalists over their refusal to sign up to the department's new restrictive policies on reporting.
It comes after the departure of most mainstream journalists over their refusal to sign up to the department's new restrictive policies on reporting.
Verified videos from Gaza show a public execution of eight men, armed members of Hamas's internal security force on patrol and masked fighters firing on unarmed men in displays of force by Hamas in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire began last week.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Trump demands Hamas disarm, as group moves against 'collaborators' in Gaza
BBC Verify analyses footage of Hamas fighters in Gaza, including one of an execution in the centre of Gaza City.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Verified videos from Gaza show a public execution of eight men, armed members of Hamas's internal security force on patrol and masked fighters firing on unarmed men in displays of force by Hamas in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire began last week.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Shayan Sardarizadeh
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
October 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
Jacob Chansley aka the QAnon Shaman, known for storming the Capitol on Jan 6, has filed a $40 trillion lawsuit against Trump, Musk's X Corp, the Federal Reserve, the IMF, the World Bank, Israel and others, claiming that he's the real leader of the US.
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix...
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix...
QAnon Shaman says he's rightful president, sues Trump for $40 trillion
In a rambling complaint, Jacob Chansley claims DJs are spies, that the NSA stole his work for a Batman movie and more.
www.phoenixnewtimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Jacob Chansley aka the QAnon Shaman, known for storming the Capitol on Jan 6, has filed a $40 trillion lawsuit against Trump, Musk's X Corp, the Federal Reserve, the IMF, the World Bank, Israel and others, claiming that he's the real leader of the US.
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix...
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix...
X has restored the account of Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys group.
McInnes's account was banned by Twitter in August 2018 ahead of the "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington DC for "violating" its policies on violent extremism.
McInnes's account was banned by Twitter in August 2018 ahead of the "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington DC for "violating" its policies on violent extremism.
September 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
X has restored the account of Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys group.
McInnes's account was banned by Twitter in August 2018 ahead of the "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington DC for "violating" its policies on violent extremism.
McInnes's account was banned by Twitter in August 2018 ahead of the "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington DC for "violating" its policies on violent extremism.
This is reportedly the X account of Anibal Hernandez Santana, who's suspected of firing shots at a local ABC affiliate news station in Sacramento a day after ABC took Jimmy Kimmel off air.
His timeline features a slew of anti-Trump posts and calls to "fight" the president.
His timeline features a slew of anti-Trump posts and calls to "fight" the president.
September 21, 2025 at 5:41 PM
This is reportedly the X account of Anibal Hernandez Santana, who's suspected of firing shots at a local ABC affiliate news station in Sacramento a day after ABC took Jimmy Kimmel off air.
His timeline features a slew of anti-Trump posts and calls to "fight" the president.
His timeline features a slew of anti-Trump posts and calls to "fight" the president.
We've tried to explain everything that we know about the potential motive and ideology of Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, things we don't know, online profiles of Robinson and his roommate, and speculation by partisans on the left and right.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The motive behind Charlie Kirk's killing: What we know and don't know
Prosecutors have broadly outlined suspect Tyler Robinson's political views - but many questions remain.
www.bbc.com
September 19, 2025 at 10:56 PM
We've tried to explain everything that we know about the potential motive and ideology of Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, things we don't know, online profiles of Robinson and his roommate, and speculation by partisans on the left and right.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, President Trump says he intends to designate Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organisation".
We've tried to explain Antifa's views and activism, and examine if Trump has the legal power to designate the group.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We've tried to explain Antifa's views and activism, and examine if Trump has the legal power to designate the group.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What is Antifa and why is Donald Trump targeting it?
President Trump says he will designate Antifa as a terror group, but legal experts have questioned whether this is possible.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 18, 2025 at 6:45 PM
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, President Trump says he intends to designate Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organisation".
We've tried to explain Antifa's views and activism, and examine if Trump has the legal power to designate the group.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We've tried to explain Antifa's views and activism, and examine if Trump has the legal power to designate the group.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What do studies on far-right vs far-left political violence in ths US show? Short answer: It's complicated.
Most independent studies say the far-right commit more violence than the far-left, but as it's not easy to define motives and ideologies, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions.
Most independent studies say the far-right commit more violence than the far-left, but as it's not easy to define motives and ideologies, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions.
September 17, 2025 at 3:33 PM
What do studies on far-right vs far-left political violence in ths US show? Short answer: It's complicated.
Most independent studies say the far-right commit more violence than the far-left, but as it's not easy to define motives and ideologies, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions.
Most independent studies say the far-right commit more violence than the far-left, but as it's not easy to define motives and ideologies, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions.
The US Justice Department appears to have removed from its website a study into political violence in America by the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department’s research agency, which concluded that far-right extremism outpaced “all other types of domestic violent extremism”.
September 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The US Justice Department appears to have removed from its website a study into political violence in America by the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department’s research agency, which concluded that far-right extremism outpaced “all other types of domestic violent extremism”.
It's several days since many viral posts on this platform claimed without evidence that Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, was a supporter of Nick Fuentes and the Groypers.
There's still not a single piece of evidence that shows Robinson was a Groyper.
There's still not a single piece of evidence that shows Robinson was a Groyper.
September 16, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It's several days since many viral posts on this platform claimed without evidence that Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, was a supporter of Nick Fuentes and the Groypers.
There's still not a single piece of evidence that shows Robinson was a Groyper.
There's still not a single piece of evidence that shows Robinson was a Groyper.
Elon Musk has shared an obviously AI-generated image of the Unite the Kingdom rally in London.
The first AI error is that the Arc de Triomphe is in Paris, not London. And once you zoom in, you'll notice that the Union Jacks and the crowd have other errors typical of AI images.
The first AI error is that the Arc de Triomphe is in Paris, not London. And once you zoom in, you'll notice that the Union Jacks and the crowd have other errors typical of AI images.
September 14, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Elon Musk has shared an obviously AI-generated image of the Unite the Kingdom rally in London.
The first AI error is that the Arc de Triomphe is in Paris, not London. And once you zoom in, you'll notice that the Union Jacks and the crowd have other errors typical of AI images.
The first AI error is that the Arc de Triomphe is in Paris, not London. And once you zoom in, you'll notice that the Union Jacks and the crowd have other errors typical of AI images.
This is the video, first shared by Washingtonian Problems, which President Trump said "is probably AI".
I'd be very surprised if the video were AI-generated. All the details, including the White House, the US flag flying at half mast, the surrounding buildings and the shadows, appear genuine.
I'd be very surprised if the video were AI-generated. All the details, including the White House, the US flag flying at half mast, the surrounding buildings and the shadows, appear genuine.
September 3, 2025 at 2:07 AM
This is the video, first shared by Washingtonian Problems, which President Trump said "is probably AI".
I'd be very surprised if the video were AI-generated. All the details, including the White House, the US flag flying at half mast, the surrounding buildings and the shadows, appear genuine.
I'd be very surprised if the video were AI-generated. All the details, including the White House, the US flag flying at half mast, the surrounding buildings and the shadows, appear genuine.