How fake news is stoking violence and anger in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - Soon after Alex Chow fell off the edge of a parking garage in Hong Kong, the allegations began spreading online.

The polarising rhetoric is fuelling distrust and violence, making it harder to resolve the crisis that has plunged Hong Kong into a recession and raised doubts about the city's role as Asia's premier financial hub. After one of the most violent days since protests started in June, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam urged citizens to"stay calm and see the facts".

Hong Kong doesn't have a fake news law, though Secretary for Security John Lee said this month that"most of the laws in the real world are applicable to the online world", such as publishing information that threatens public safety. Police have called her death an apparent suicide, but some protesters claim that Hong Kong's police, city officials or the Chinese government killed the girl for participating in protests. Several demonstrators responded by showing up at her school to smash glass doors and spread graffiti on the walls.

Once unsubstantiated claims about the protests start spreading on social media, they're often hard to contain. When violent clashes erupted between demonstrators and riot police at Hong Kong's Prince Edward MTR station about three months ago, protesters alleged the altercation ended with fatalities after the police and the train's operator MTR Corp. evacuated the station and closed it off to media and first aid providers.

Pro-government posts often spread photos, memes and videos propagating unsubstantiated rumors of US black hands funding the demonstrations and young female protesters acting as so-called comfort women for male counterparts. Among more than 20,000 accounts that shared the #BoycottBlizzard hashtag, Astroscreen found a fifth were created between August and October. Similar tasks have targeted the National Basketball Association and basketball star Lebron James. Blizzard, the NBA and James didn't respond to requests for comment.

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