How Social Media Rumours Led To Deadly Migrant Crisis In Spain's Ceuta
Misinformation spread across social media platforms led to a deadly migrant crisis in Ceuta, Spain, where thousands attempted to cross the border based on false rumors. At least 90 people died during the incident, largely due to drowning.
Why it matters
This event demonstrates the real-world, lethal consequences of viral misinformation and the role of social media in facilitating human smuggling operations.
A wave of false information on social media led to a massive influx of migrants into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta last month. Tens of thousands of people attempted to cross from Morocco, with at least 90 people dying, most of them by drowning.The misleading posts were spread across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and Telegram, giving migrants the false impression that Spain had relaxed its rules and that people who reached Ceuta by sea would be allowed to stay, according to The NY Times.Two days before the mass crossing on July 30, a local newspaper, El Faro de Ceuta, posted a video on TikTok and Instagram showing two young women walking through Ceuta in wetsuits with their hair still wet. The posts suggested that the women had just swum across from Morocco.
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