An elderly man looking out of his house next to a poster urging the public to not be a part of spreading fake news about Covid-19 coronavirus amid Vietnam’s nationwide social isolation effort, in Hanoi. — AFP
HONG KONG: Hundreds of people have been arrested across Asia for posting purported false coronavirus information, according to an AFP investigation, deepening concerns that growing government efforts to combat “fake news” will target the wrong people and silence dissent.
From teenagers to a TV star, people have been wrongly detained under vaguely worded cybercrime laws or broad state-of-emergency powers ushered in since the outbreak began, rights groups say.
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