Coda Story
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Depth, context, and continuity through original, on-the-ground reporting. Covering disinformation, authoritarian technology and the war on science.

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🚨 The same Sudanese militia that committed numerous atrocities in Darfur is trying to rebrand itself as a group of philanthropic statesmen helping the country fight Covid-19. Mat Nashed has the story.

💉 Anonymous accounts on Telegram are selling fake vaccine certificates to Russians hoping to side-step the Sputnik V vaccine. Tatiana Torocheshnikova and Katia Patin report.
Hello 👋 Here are the stories that we’re following right now:

🇨🇳 In China, a new digital tool will track the vaccination status for citizens entering and leaving the country, fueling privacy concerns. Isobel Cockerell reports.

💉 From COVID deniers to anti-vaxxers, conspiracists are flocking to online hubs and feeding off of one another's narratives. Erica Hellerstein digs into the convergence of antisemitic & anti-vaccine conspiracies, which experts say is growing during the pandemic.
🎤Hip-hop is on the front lines of the fight for democracy in Myanmar. Artists and rappers are coming out with anti-coup music protesting the military takeover. Read more here.
🧔🏻Anti-lockdown groups have seized upon traditionally male themes, such as personal sovereignty and individualism, to attract men. Lydia Morrish reports.

🇺🇿 In Uzbekistan, a new draft of criminal code calls homosexual relations a crime “against famliy, children and morality” and crimalizes same-sex relations between men with up to three years in jail. Read the full story here.
🥦 Social media is full of perfectly curated photos of food and a fixation on “clean eating.” But it can trigger an unhealthy relationship with food, Mariam Kiparoidze reports.
🇮🇪 Anti-lockdown protesters in Ireland are planning so-called Easter Rising demonstrations this weekend to mark the anniversary of the 1916 armed struggle against British rule. Read more here.
Hello 👋 Here are the stories that we’re following right now:

💊 From unproven cancer treatments to supplements for hormonal imbalance, some CEOs and business leaders have made a business of promoting a variety of pseudohealth cures. Coda’s staff has the story.

💸 Central Asian countries have become attractive locations for mining digital currencies, but research shows they are among the most vulnerable to cryptocurrency attacks. Read the story here.
Happy Monday Here’s what we’re following this week:

🇷🇺 For years, pro-Kremlin TV channels avoided using Alexey Navalny’s name on air. Now that he’s behind bars, their propaganda tactics have changed.

🇮🇷 An Iranian cleric known as the “father of Islamic medicine” has been pushing pseudoscientific cures for coronavirus. And he’s not the only one.
👤 Facial recognition used on dating apps and online ad is identifying users by gender, potentially making false judgements about trans and non-binary people. Rights groups are pushing the European Commission to ban automated gender recognition tech. Read more here.
Hello 👋 Here’s our top read for today:

🇮🇳 India plans to use facial recognition in vaccination centers. But opponents fear that the move is designed to further entrench the country’s controversial biometric ID system. Read the story here.
🔎 Political disinformation characterized Mexico’s 2018 election. Ahead of midterm elections, journalists are joining forces to weed out fake news.
🤳 Chinese YouTube superstars Li Ziqi and Dianxi have more followers than all China’s state media outlets combined. They’re the ultimate #cottagecore influencers - showcasing an idyllic existence that just happens to suit the authorities’ messaging. Read more here.

🧠 People with chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, are turning to a controversial program called the Lightning Process for help. But critics say it’s not based on legitimate research, and some patients say it actually made them worse.
🇲🇲 Despite being vocal in opposition to the coup in Myanmar, social media users are getting harassed because of family ties to the military. Burhan Wazir has the story on how suspicion is rising within Myanmar's pro-democracy movement.

☢️ From microwaves to power lines, conspiracy theories about radiation have been around far longer than 5G technology. Coda's Mariam Kiparoidze takes a look at the history of radiation fears.
Hello 👋 Here’s what we’re following right now:

🏆Global leaders from Cambodia’s Hun Sen to Georgia’s Bidzina Ivanishvili have used international awards to boost their reputations internationally and at home. Coda’s team looks at how awards and honorary degrees help burnish political records.

📱Mexico is the latest to join a list of 18 countries that link biometric data to mobile phones. Under a new law, that data would be stored in a government database. But activists are raising alarms that the database could be exploited by organized crime groups and corrupt officials.
🦠Vaccine disinformation and fake coronavirus cures are exploding online as India battles a surge in Covid-19 cases. Read the story here.
Happy Monday 👋 Here’s what we’re following right now:

📚Amazon’s book recommendation algorithm is a gateway to misinformation, conspiracy theories and white nationalism, according to a new report. Find out more here.

🇪🇺The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act would be the first legal framework on the use of AI in the world. But it sets a low bar for global facial recognition regulations.
Channel photo updated