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ID Crypt Global, the digital identity security specialist, has warned about the huge danger posed by spreading fake news via Social Media platforms, as 60% of the global population now use platforms such as X, Instagram and Facebook. 

Our world is more connected than it has ever been. Thanks to Social media, we are able to almost immediately bear witness to, and engage with, major global events from around the world in ways that were never possible before.

But a rise in fake news and doctored imagery means we cannot always trust what we see online. 

A previous academic research article analysed the social media aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which caused more than 200 fatalities and widespread damage in the Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic coast of America in October 2012.

The study found that 1.7% of all images related to Hurricane Sandy that were uploaded to Twitter (now known as X) in the two weeks following the event were fake, due to having been doctored or not truly portraying events as they actually happened. 

It also is thought there are 3.2 billion images alone uploaded to social media on a daily basis

Imagine if, during the next major global event, be it an election or a conflict between nations, 1.7% of images posted or shared across all social media platforms were fake. 

But it’s not just global events when social media users are exposed to fake news. Previous research by ID Crypt Global found that disinformation actors are spreading an estimated 1.5 bn fake news posts per day across social media platforms. 

In January 2024, the number of people using social media surpassed 5 billion* for the first time after an annual increase of 5.6%. This means roughly 60% of the global population are now using social media.