It began like so many digital rumors do: a short, alarming post on social media, quickly followed by a flurry of shares, a dramatic video, and a headline that seemed tailor-made for outrage. In early August, users on X were confronted with a story claiming that a Ukrainian drone had been shot down over Estonian airspace, and that crashing debris had badly damaged two Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jets stationed at Ämari Air Base. The alleged repair bill, according to the story, was an eye-watering €120 million. The problem, of course, was that none of it had happened. There…

Misinformation is not new, but the speed and scale at which it can be manufactured and spread has changed dramatically. Across Southeast Asia, falsehoods and manipulated media are increasingly common during elections, around territorial disputes, and in extremist spaces. A recent analysis by Dien Nguyen An Luong makes a useful point: Singapore’s 2027 ASEAN Chairmanship could turn these frustrations into a concrete regional exercise. Instead of each country chasing its own online ghosts, ASEAN members could learn to connect the dots. The idea is not to create a giant censorship body, but to help national investigators see when separate incidents…