THE banner story on the CNN website yesterday was interesting bordering on unbelievable. The topic was the crisis in the Middle East that involved eight countries (so far) cutting ties with Qatar, a small country with a population of 2.3 million, a sizable number of whom are workers from other countries like the Philippines. But the story was mostly about fake news and how damaging it could be if used to create worldwide chaos.
While relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both US allies, have already been frayed because of accusations the former supported an Islamist group the Saudis considered as a terrorist organization, that didn’t reach breaking point until now. Saudi Arabia is among the countries that took the lead in breaking diplomatic ties with Qatar.
Two weeks before the recent diplomatic row, Qatar’s state news agency posted comments supposedly by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Hamad Al Thani that hailed Iran as an Islamic power and criticized US President Donald Trump’s policy towards Iran. Saudi Arabia and some other Middle East countries are wary of Iran’s designs in the region. These countries retaliated by blocking Qatari media outlets.
Qatar had said at that time that the website of its news agency was hacked and that the report that carried the Qatari emir’s comment was fake. Now the US has expressed the belief that Russian hackers may be behind the planting of the fake news. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has sent a team to Qatar to help its government look into the alleged hacking incident.
Russia has an army of hackers and trolls that have been accused of helping Donald Trump win last year’s US presidential elections. Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron has also recently accused Russian hackers and trolls of trying to influence the outcome their elections. US investigators believe the hacking was intended to jeopardize relations among US allies in the Middle East.
If the allegation is proven true, then we are finally seeing how potent fake news can be as a weapon for anarchists. It makes the fake news and symbolism photos occasionally spread by Mocha Uson and other so-called “Dutertards” look puny. And it should prod us to battle fake news aggressively.
u2022••
She was as much a part of my high school memories as her son Stephen, who was my batch mate. We used to go to their old house inside the compound of Southwestern University (SWU) to play billiards, or even to just while away the time by listening to smooth music from long-playing vinyl records Stephen played on a stereo system that was obviously top of the line at that time. She was in the house often, but she gave us teenagers space. That was why I noticed her.
The last time I saw her from afar was years ago, when she and her late husband Matias IV or Bombi, attended masses at the San Vicente Ferrer parish near Urgello St. I wanted to ask her about Stephen, whom I hadn’t seen for years at that time, but couldn’t will myself to do it. Stephen and our batch mates are communicating now via the Internet. It is with sadness that we read his announcement of the passing of his mother, Eleonor Sanzon Aznar. My condolences to the family.