Trending

Since the Covid vaccines were rolled out, a trend has sprung up – of accounts online linking virtually any death or illness, of a celebrity, athlete or ordinary person, to the shots without any evidence. A conspiracy theory film called Died Suddenly released last year appears to have supercharged this practice- termed “ghouling”. BBC Trending investigates how far the Died Suddenly film has spread and what its impact has been – on the people who believe its message, and on bereaved families being trolled. We speak to Stew Peters, the film-maker behind the film, and challenge him on the misleading claims he is spreading. Presenter: Rachel Schraer Reporter: Mike Wendling Editor: Flora Carmichael

In one of the dirtiest electoral campaigns in Brazil's history, figures on the left and right of the political spectrum trolled their opponents with jokes, ridicule and disinformation rocking the country's young democracy. We speak to both sides including a Congressman whose series of ambiguous or misleading posts on Twitter got millions of views and an Argentine political consultant whose false claims about voter fraud went viral, playing a key role in the movement that led to widespread national protests. So how has trolling evolved to become a central feature in Brazil’s political discourse and is there any way back from here? Jonathan Griffin and Juliana Gragnani investigate. Presenters and producers: Jonathan Griffin and Juliana Gragnani Editor: Flora Carmichael

Climate-denying trolls, beware: a group of internet vigilantes is coming for you. They call themselves “Team Ninja Trollhunters”: a ragtag group of activists from around the globe, who have vowed to fight those spreading climate change misinformation on Twitter. The group claims to have succeeded in getting hundreds of users booted off the platform, but their methods aren’t without controversy. As a ferocious information war rages on online, are these vigilantes at risk of behaving like the very trolls they claim to be fighting? Presenter: Marco Silva Editor: Flora Carmichael

Burmese women have been at the forefront of the resistance against the military junta ever since Myanmar lurched back into a dictatorship in 2021. Online, female activists and politicians have been fighting for their rights, gathering intel and strategizing - hoping that one day Myanmar will return to democracy. But these women have also been on the receiving end of targeted online attacks which have leaked into the offline world. So who is behind these strategic hate campaigns and why are they doing it? BBC Trending’s Reha Kansara investigates and unearths a network of pro-junta online trolls who dox and abuse women who oppose the regime. Presenter: Reha Kansara Producers: Nyein Chan Aye and Sachin Croker Editor: Flora Carmichael

Since the world’s richest man bought Twitter last year, more than half the workforce has been sacked and scores of users previously banned for breaking Twitter’s rules were reinstated. Marianna Spring investigates how Elon Musk is transforming one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. She speaks to former insiders and examines evidence that suggests trolling and hate are thriving under the new owner. This is the first episode in BBC Trending's new series 'Trolled'.

We investigate the money-making schemes that spring up on platforms like TikTok in the wake of conflict. First - the war in Ukraine saw a wave of donations from ordinary citizens around the world. But as we discover, scammers have joined the fray, exploiting emotive content in a bid to siphon cash from the catastrophe. And second - TikTok livestreams featuring Syrian refugees pleading for help are generating big money from sympathetic viewers online. We find out where most of the funds actually end up. Reporter: Hannah Gelbart Producer: Sam Judah Editor: Flora Carmichael

If promoting harmful conspiracy theories can be a lucrative way to make money, then is the best way for victims to fight back by hitting those responsible in the wallet? Alex Jones made a fortune from his Infowars website, before he was ordered to pay nearly £1.5 billion in defamation damages for falsely claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax Parents of some of the 22 people murdered during the massacre, brought the legal action after suffering years of abuse and threats as a result of Jones accusing them of being “crisis actors”. Now people targeted by conspiracy theories which deny the reality of other horrific events are contemplating similar moves against those who false allegations have blighted their lives. This episode contains audio from the websites of Infowars and Richard D Hall. Presenter: Marianna Spring Producers: Sam Judah & Ant Adeane Editor: Ed Main

The R’n’B singer Akon has had an incredibly successful music career, with a number of smash hits and legions of fans. Recently the singer launched two ambitious projects that are inextricably linked. The first is a cryptocurrency called Akoin that Akon says will provide financial independence for Africans, although some people are dissatisfied after investing in the dream and having nothing to show for it. The other project is a reported $6billion futuristically designed metropolis on the coast of Senegal called Akon City. Together Akoin and Akon City are supposed to represent the future of African life but after several delays will these plans ever take off? Presenter: Jonathan Griffin Producers: Borso Tall, Ned Davies Editor: Flora Carmichael

The lack of science around 'med beds' - miracle devices with magical healing properties - has not stopped people from shelling out thousands of dollars to buy them. Why have med beds taken off online and who is selling them? Presenter: Mike Wendling Producer: Elizabeth Hotson

SafeMoon promised its investors a trip to the moon but instead cost some their life savings. We speak to the YouTuber Coffeezilla who investigated the problematic token, the people who lost out and we assess the safety and future of crypto coins. Presenter: Joe Tidy Producers: Jerry Sullivan and Beth Godwin Editor: Flora Carmichael

The past few years gave way to a boom in the number of people joining direct selling schemes in India who were lured in by the false promise of riches. These tactics – imported from the West – have been quietly growing without much scrutiny. Ria – not her real name – fell prey to one of the largest schemes operating in the country. In an exclusive interview for BBC Trending, she reveals how she was trained to “attract people” into the business. There is a small group of crusaders who are fighting back, trying to save people from buying into schemes that leave more people further out of pocket than they were to begin with. So who are they and how are they doing it? The BBC’s health and disinformation reporter, Rachel Schraer investigates this phenomenon, speaking to experts, the authorities and even two YouTubers who are spreading awareness in the small South Indian village. Presenter: Rachel Schraer Producer: Reha Kansara Editor: Flora Carmichael

In 2020 the Chinmark Group appeared to be a thriving Nigerian business empire, endorsed by a string of popular influencers online. It sold investment deals to its followers, promising them astonishing returns. Today the empire is in tatters, but what went wrong? We hear from a social media star who hyped the company up, a former employee who sold the scheme to the public, and a student who staked his life savings on its success - losing everything in the process. And we’ll find out why firms following a similar pattern are proving so popular in Nigeria. Reporters: Chiagozie Chiagozie Nwonwu and Fauziyya Tukur Producer: Sam Judah Editor: Flora Carmichael

A brazen British prankster tells all. For more than a decade, he tricked the world into believing a Scottish scientist called “Alan MacMasters” invented the electric toaster in 1893. At the heart of his web of fantasy was a Wikipedia article that fooled dozens of journalists, public officials, and even primary school teachers. But how did this hoaxer get away with it for so long? And how did an eagle-eyed 15-year-old eventually manage to expose his deception? Presenter: Marco Silva Editor: Flora Carmichael Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot

Since the overturning of Roe versus Wade, dozens of US abortion clinics have closed their doors. Now efforts to provide abortion information and access have moved online, where false claims, genuine pills and dodgy remedies sit side by side. We meet the anti-abortion campaigners spreading false claims that clinically approved pills are dangerous and pro-choice supporters promoting dodgy herbal remedies on social media. Presenter: Rachel Schraer Producers: Jerry Sullivan & Kayleen Devlin Editor: Flora Carmichael

Ahead of Kenya’s general election, a bitter war for public opinion was being fought on social media. In a bid to sway the result, online influencers – from students to pop stars – were offered cash in exchange for political messages. Critics say that paid political messages are swamping social media – but they aren’t declared as adverts, and instead they pose as genuine political opinion. We meet some of the key players in the country’s online information economy: micro-influencers, musicians and bigtime strategists explain their role in the controversial industry. And we hear from researchers who think the practice could be corroding democratic debate in Kenya. Reporters: Jack Goodman and Peter Mwai Producer: Sam Judah Editor: Flora Carmichael

MrBeast is YouTube royalty: with more than 100 million subscribers, he has legions of fans around the world, in awe of his elaborate stunts. He is one of the highest-paid stars on the platform - and yet, the American YouTuber says he wants to use his platform to “make the world a better place”. He has thrown his weight behind two viral environmental campaigns: #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas. Together, they have raised more than 55 million dollars to plant trees and remove plastic from the ocean. MrBeast’s supporters say he has energised a “new generation” of climate activists, but some experts have doubts: they have questioned how much of a difference these campaigns will actually make. Do they have a point? Presenter & producer: Marco Silva Editor: Ed Main Picture Credit: Getty Images

How did a bizarre US-based conspiracy theory about Donald Trump being the saviour of the world, lead to people protesting in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka accusing police of being reptiles? From its obscure online beginnings only a few years ago, the QAnon movement in Japan has morphed through several different phases, becoming ever more extreme in the process. Its latest incarnation is a group called Yamato Q, which embraces a series of wild and false claims. Its members believe they have different genes from the rest of the population and that Covid-19 does not exist. Some have even attempted to disrupt vaccination centres. So should wider society be concerned? Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Shayan Sardarizadeh Producer: Jonathan Griffin Editor: Ed Main

Romana Didulo is a QAnon influencer who proclaimed herself “Queen of Canada”. She has issued a series of bizarre and bloodcurdling “royal decrees” claiming to have cancelled all personal debt and threatening the death penalty for those who defy her. It’s all a complete fantasy, but that hasn’t prevented her attracting a sizeable following which helps fund her tours around her kingdom in a fleet of large motor homes. Now this maple leaf monarch is seeking to expand her empire beyond Canada. But all is not well in the court of Queen Romana. Followers who believed her claims are suffering the real life consequences of stopping paying their rent and utility bills. While others who tried to enact her commands have faced arrest. Presenter: Rachel Schraer Producer: Sam Judah Editor: Ed Main

Russian QAnon and the Ukraine dilemma QAnon is rooted in the deep divisions of American politics and helped inspire the storming of the US capitol in Washington. So why has this bizarre and baseless conspiracy theory also been attracting supporters in places like Moscow and Siberia? The third part of Trending’s mini-series about the global impact of QAnon investigates its growing popularity in Russia. But while some supporters have adapted QAnon ideas for a Russian context, this fledgling movement has now been thrown into disarray by the war in Ukraine. Presenter: Olga Robinson Producer: Jerry Sullivan Editor: Ed Main

What happened when a bizarre US-based conspiracy theory surfaced a continent away in Africa? In the second part of Trending’s mini series about the impact of QAnon around the world, we report from South Africa. At the heart of QAnon is the baseless claim that former US president Donald Trump is waging a secret war against a cabal of powerful paedophiles who run American politics and Hollywood. But in South Africa, elements of QAnon have been translated into the local context of pre-existing tensions in society, and are helping turn South Africans against both immigrants and one another. Presenter: Jonathan Griffin Reporter: Mpho Lakaje Editor: Mike Wendling