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Outlook: Secrets and Lies: Lives destroyed online

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Secrets and Lies from Outlook

29/03/2021 GMT

Secrets and Lies: Lives destroyed online

BBC World Service - Outlook, Secrets and Lies: Lives destroyed online

Two unnerving stories about how quickly lies can spread online

An estate agent whose business was nearly destroyed by a malicious lie. And the Indian policewoman fighting fake news with traditional storytelling.

It's secrets and lies season here on Outlook and we have two stories from our archive about the way lies and fake news online can wreak havoc in our offline lives. 

Monika Glennon is a Polish-born estate agent living in the US. One morning she got a frantic call from a colleague: an explicit post had been written about Monika, claiming she had an affair with a client and that she was a ‘homewrecker’. The story was fabricated, but as it became the first hit when you googled her name, Monika began to lose business, fell into a depression, and even feared for her safety. Who was behind the post? She tells Jo Fidgen her terrifying story.

Rema Rajeshwari is an Indian police officer. In 2018, rumours of child kidnappers and violent murders spread throughout her district via messaging apps. Locals were scared and started forming mobs and attacking strangers. Rema had an unorthodox solution: traditional storytelling, inspired by her grandmother. She told Outlook’s Emily Webb how she used storytelling to combat fake news.


Do you have a story about how a secret or lie changed a life? It could be something that happened to you or someone close to you, or it could just be an amazing story you heard. If so, we'd love to hear about it. Record a short voice memo or write an e-mail and send it to us at outlook@bbc.com. If your story is about someone you know, just make sure they're ok with you telling us about it.

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