The hoax that rape was legal for a day was knocked down by fact-checkers two years ago. But it went viral again this year on TikTok, illustrating what researchers call “zombie” misinformation.
The stomach-churning falsehood that groups of men have declared April 24 as “National Rape Day,” giving them free rein to commit sexual violence, crept its way to TikTok fame in 2021, sparking alarm in countries including the United States and Britain.
In a sea of videos, many with millions of views, terrified women declared plans to lock themselves in their rooms all day and men vowed to protect them against imaginary assailants.
In one, a hulking bare-torsoed man appeared to sharpen an axe with a whetstone, warning troublemakers not to “touch anyone I know.”
An 11-year-old girl in Britain “afraid of being raped” went to school armed with knives, local media reported citing police officials.
TikTok users seized on reports of unrelated sexual crimes just before April 24 that year as evidence of the lurking threat, lending further credence to the myth.
Tik Tok, yep a database driven enterprise. Look how the people put faith in it and its contents. The Tik Tok challenges have harmed many in monkey see, monkey do fashion.
Take my word for it, these hoaxes are not “..stored in warehouses..” They’re stored on database. Why does he use the word warehouse? Same reason they opt for the words ” smart” or “cloud.” Obfuscation of truth. They use the word Zombie instead of the word bot.