RECODE – 23/04/2019
Emily Stewart
“It demonstrates this kind of degradation of trust in the platforms.”
Sri Lanka security forces secure the area around St. Anthony’s Church in Colombo in April 2019 after a series of bombings on Easter Sunday. Stringer/Getty Images
In the wake of a series of bombings in Sri Lanka that left more than 300 people dead, the country’s government shut down a number of social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, out of concern they could be used to spread misinformation or incite more violence. But across the region, the problem of fake news is widespread.