17.02.24 Big Tech

The tip-off: help us gather misleading content

Our tipline means you can help us collect false information published online that might influence the public dishonestly

We want you to help us uncover and expose how people are trying to manipulate the UK public online. To do that, we have launched a tipline for you to send us content you think we should be taking a look at.

Seen a false or misleading claim going around the Facebook Groups you spend time in? Noticed a hate-spreading account that you think might be pretending to be someone they aren’t? Been forwarded a WhatsApp message promoting a conspiracy theory? Then send it along to us. Here are some more details …

What is the tipline?

  • The tipline is a way for you to help us collect information about misinformation or other things online that might influence the public dishonestly.

How does it work?

  • Simply WhatsApp us links, images, videos or text of content you think we should be investigating. This link will take you to our WhatsApp chat or you can use our number, which is +44 7984 988130.

What should I send you?

  • Examples of misinformation and false claims about issues affecting the UK public, be that migration, housing, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, or anything that is part of our political debates.

  • Social media accounts or websites that you suspect might be hiding their true identity. Maybe they’re even pretending to be from the UK but may actually be run by someone from somewhere else entirely and are trying to influence the UK public.

  • Manipulated media, such as faked videos, audio or images, including AI-generated deepfakes.

What shouldn’t I send you?

  • Statements that may be controversial or objectionable but do not appear to be deliberately making a false claim.

  • People being terrible online but being honest about who they are.

  • Ads or statements by political parties (unless they aren’t disclosing the party they’re from).

What will you do with the information you get sent?

  • We will collect all the messages and analyse them to pick out individual leads and build a bigger picture of conversations taking place in the UK in the coming months. That will help us investigate who is trying to manipulate the public in the run-up to the UK election later this year. We may also end up using the content sent to us as examples in the final investigation when it is published.

Get in touch using this link or send us a WhatsApp message on +44 7984 988130