Last updated on September 17th, 2025
Editor’s note: In January 2025, we published verification information on social media regarding a batch of trending rumours and AI-generated posts — including reports about Elon Musk’s interest in TikTok’s U.S. operations — offering rapid triage and concise verdicts for fact-checkers.
Here are some recent claims, rumors, and viral posts spreading online. Weekly Fact-Check Wrap helps you separate facts from misinformation. Let’s dive into some of the key stories.
As wildfires raged in Los Angeles, California, viral pictures and videos spread online, claiming that the historic Hollywood sign was engulfed in flames. Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, said that while Griffith Park was temporarily closed for safety, the Hollywood sign was “not affected and is secure,” AFP reported. Some of the visual images appeared to be fabricated, in at least some cases using AI-technology, according to GetReal Labs, a deepfake detection company.
TikTok’s “sell or ban” ban is about to take effect. Bloomberg on January 13 reported that Elon Musk might acquire TikTok’s US business and Chinese government officials were evaluating this plan, citing anonymous sources. The Wall Street Journal also published a similar report similar on January 14. A TikTok spokesperson responded to this claim on January 14, “We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” according to Caixin.
AI-generated! Clear signs of AI generation were recognized in the wide-spreading images featuring “a buried boy” in the magnitude-6.8 earthquake in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on January 7. A Qinghai netizen was detained for fabricating links between the image and the earthquake, misleading the public and spreading false information.
Videos of houses collapsing and violent shaking spread globally in social media platforms were falsely linked to the M6.8 earthquake in Xizang. These footage were in fact shot in Japan’s Noto Peninsula earthquake, according to Nikkei Asia.
As a fact-check brand,Fact Hunter remains committed to systematically documenting these communication patterns. Follow us for ongoing insights into how narratives take shape and how truth cuts through the fog of conflict.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to FactHunter’s investiqation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com]
