Misinformation that 'extremist groups caused a large-scale forest fire' was prevalent, police and fire departments punctured with inquiries

Misinformation that 'extremist groups have set fire' has been widely disseminated on Facebook and Twitter regarding wildfires in the western part of the United States that continue even after burning 10 times the area of Tokyo. Police and fire authorities are flooded with inquiries about this misinformation, and the authorities are busy dealing with misinformation as well as wildfires.

Officials battle online misinformation along with wildfires
https://apnews.com/d294693de30f859f6c028122fd99bf11

Facebook removes posts linking Oregon wildfires to activist groups | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wildfires-facebook-idUSKBN264013

Oregon Police Inundated by False Reports of Antifa Arson
https://theintercept.com/2020/09/10/oregon-police-beg-public-stop-calling-false-reports-blaming-antifa-wildfires/

Wildfires that have occurred one after another in the western United States since around August 2020 have continued to expand due to the effects of severe heat waves, and as of September 13, 20,000 square kilometers, which is about 10 times that of Tokyo, have been destroyed by fire. It is estimated that it was done.

Wildfires in the western United States, smoke and ash in Canada's worst air pollution in the world 6 photos International News: AFPBB News
https://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3304337

Regarding this series of wildfires, on SNS such as Facebook and Twitter, 'A series of arson by the far-right white supremacist group Proud Boys that only men can join' and 'The arson of the far- left group ANTIFA with anti-fascists' The criminal of the wildfire is an extremist group. ' In an extreme example, it was even a post with a face photo that imitated a news article that 'five members of Proud boys set fire.' Below is the post in question, with the word 'FALSE' heavily written by police in Medford, Oregon.

Police scrutinized the truth of the series of rumors, but there was no evidence that militant groups were involved in the wildfire, so 'it is a mistake to say that militant groups caused the wildfire. It's information. ' However, it is said that police and fire departments are flooded with inquiries by people who have truly received rumors on SNS. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office wrote, 'Rumors are spreading like a wildfire.' 'Stop spreading rumors!'

On September 12, 2020, the FBI issued a statement stating that 'conspiracy theories and misinformation have robbed local police stations and police agencies of resources to respond to fires,' misreporting wildfires. Called to refrain from spreading.

Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. Help us stop the spread of misinformation by only sharing information from trusted, official sources. Pic.twitter.com/ENc4c3kjep

— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 11, 2020

In response to the dissemination of misinformation related to this matter, Facebook stated that it would 'remove the misinformation in accordance with the previous policy regarding harmful content.' We are embarking on a settlement of the situation.