It has been several days, that information as if Facebook will be turned off during weekend days, was spread via social networks. Similar stories were published by some web-portals, including primetime.ge and mshoblebi.ge. The new topic about this information was also created on Forum.ge. The news evoked different reactions among Facebook’s Georgian users.
In fact, Facebook will not be turned off neither during weekends nor working-days.
Disinformation about turning off the most rated social network was disseminated by Bakur Svanidze’s satirical agency bstv.ge under the rubric “Blef-news”. According to the fake news, Facebook’s publisher Mark Zuckerberg gave an interview to BLEF-TV and said that the world has become dependent on Facebook which destructively affects human psychic.
About the source: For years, Bakur Svanidze is one of the authors of pro-Russian media outlet Geworld.ge (Georgia & world), which was founded by “LTD Historical Heritage”. On the web-site of BLEF-TV, the banners of news agency Marshalpress and Georgia & world are added, which indicates to the partnership between them and BSTV.ge. According to MDF’s report, Georgia & world and Bakur Svanidze stir up anti-western sentiments and disseminate groundless statements. As 2016 Hate Speech Monitoring results indicate, Georgia & world and Bakur Svanidze were prominent in terms of Turkophobia and Homophobia, which often carried anti-western context. Bakur Svanidze participated in 2016 Parliamentary Elections as a majoritarian candidate of “Left Alliance”.
