No, COVID-19 tests aren’t being used to collect human DNA

NO: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not say that human DNA was being collected through COVID-19 tests. YES: In a tweet on Feb. 16, the CDC said that “there’s a 10% chance” that swabs used in COVID-19 PCR tests end up “in a lab for genomic sequencing analysis” — a process used to analyze the genetic makeup of viruses and track the emergence of variants. YES: In a subsequent tweet the CDC clarified that the sequencing and analysis work is on the genome of the virus that causes COVID-19, not on human DNA.

NewsLit takeaway: Conspiratorial rumors about the government and private companies using COVID-19 tests to build collections of human DNA have circulated since at least late 2020. These previous viral falsehoods — along with people’s tendency to interpret information in ways that maintain rather than challenge their existing ideas and beliefs — likely led some vaccine deniers and others to see “proof” of these baseless suspicions in the wording of the CDC’s Feb. 16 tweet.

Photo of protesters getting shoved by police is from 2010, not the ‘Freedom Convoy’

NO: This photo does not show police shoving and kicking so-called Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa, Ontario, in 2022. YES: It is a photo of police attempting to clear a group of protesters during the G-20 summit in Toronto in June 2010. YES: Police in riot gear used force to clear some “Freedom Convoy” protesters in Ottawa on Feb. 19.

NewsLit takeaway: When major developments in a protest movement occur, supporters often seek out photos and video to share online to promote their cause. But some supporters go so far as to steal more dramatic visuals from other contexts to help their message go viral on social media. For example, purveyors of disinformation often seek out old photos and video of large crowds — at other protests, but also at nonpolitical events like music festivals and sports team rallies — to inflate the degree of grassroots support for a cause. This particular rumor is aimed at a different approach: exaggerating the degree or intensity of opposition to garner sympathy. Because these visuals are generally powerful, and typically align with actual events, they are often readily accepted by other supporters online. This is another reminder to double-check the authenticity of photos and videos of controversial events from sources you don’t recognize online.

Anti-mask message on BBQ restaurant sign is fake

NO: This is not an authentic photo of the sign for Little Pigs barbecue restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. YES: The message has been artificially created using an online fake sign generator.

NewsLit takeaway: Provocative signs are optimized to go viral on social media; they’re pithy, visual and easy to process at a glance. But they’re also often fake. Almost any text in photos is easy to manipulate using basic editing software, but the altered photo in this example was particularly simple to make using a fake sign generator website. This same photo — with the exact same background and details — can be found online with a variety of different messages, including a derogatory anti-Muslim statement and a message mocking then-President Donald Trump.