Fact checking

The Cube

Musk vs the EU: Fact-checking the billionaire's X claims on Europe

Elon Musk made and reshared a series of misleading and sensationalised claims related to Europe on his X platform in the aftermath of a fine imposed on X by the European Commission for failing to comply with its transparency duties.

11/12/2025

The Cube

Are EU countries being forced to accept irregular migration?

A recent post circulating on X claims that the European Parliament has adopted a "Migration and Asylum Pact" that would compel all EU member states to accept irregular migrants or face substantial fines.

10/12/2025

The Cube

Viral posts mislead on Italy's 'lab-grown meat' ban

Italy passed a law banning cultivated or cell-based meat years ago, but posts online suggesting that it has just happened have prompted conflicting claims related to the product.

09/12/2025

The Cube

Did Donald Tusk say Poland will pay for Germany's WWII crimes?

Viral claims online have misrepresented Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's remark that Warsaw would pay for the Polish victims of WWII, and not Germany, amidst an ongoing reparations debate with Berlin.

08/12/2025

The Cube

Macron's proposed 'label' for trustworthy media taken out of context

Hitting back at the inaccurate portrayals of Macron's comments, the Elysée shared an X post with the caption "Pravda? Ministry of Truth? When talking about the fight against disinformation leads to disinformation..."

05/12/2025

The Cube

Are sperm banks in Denmark rejecting donors based on their IQ?

An online claim that Denmark requires sperm donors to have an IQ of 85 is false, although one sperm bank in the country, Donor Network, does use an IQ threshold.

04/12/2025

The Cube

AI slop account claims Germany uses 'robotic mailboxes': It doesn't

An AI-generated image circulating on Facebook has claimed that German cities have installed robotic mailboxes equipped with AI systems that can automatically return lost items to owners. The catch is that it’s AI slop.

02/12/2025

The Cube

No, Europe is not selling 'anti-rape' underwear

Viral posts allege that underwear designed to protect women from sexual assault has gone on sale in Europe, and use the claims as a pretext to spread xenophobic rhetoric.

28/11/2025

The Cube

Fact check: Is China using TikTok to 'dumb down' European children?

Macron recently claimed that China offers its children a more educational version of TikTok, while the version available in Europe is designed, in his view, to dull the minds of young people. The Cube compared the content found in both versions of the app.

27/11/2025

The Cube

Does the EU import more from Russia than it gives Ukraine in aid?

Sweden's foreign minister claimed last week that Europe has imported more from Russia during the war than it has spent supporting Ukraine. A review of the numbers suggests she is right.

25/11/2025

The Cube

Fact check: Are cows in Denmark dying over Bovaer additive?

Misinformation and controversy surrounding the methane-reducing Bovaer feed additive hit the UK last year, and has now travelled over to Denmark.

24/11/2025

The Cube

Fact-checking Europe's 'drone problem': Why are airports closing?

Airports in Europe are seeing a sharp rise in drone-related disruptions, analysis by The Cube shows. What are these drones interrupting passengers, and who's behind them?

20/11/2025

The Cube

Which European countries draft women, and why Germany doesn't

Germany is planning to bring back a form of military service — but only men are required to sign up. Amid misinformation about the measure online, here's why and how unusual Germany's revived military service is.

19/11/2025

The Cube

Fact check: Is Germany really rushing its naturalisation process?

Narratives online have abounded since the summer about how easy it is to naturalise as a German citizen. The Cube unpacks some of these claims.

18/11/2025

The Cube

No, Portugal is not banning all Islamic practices

Viral claims online appear to over-extend a recently approved law that will ban face veils in public in Portugal.

14/11/2025

The Cube

No, Brussels didn't just criminalise cash

Viral claims about the EU's new Anti-Money laundering package have claimed that cash in Europe will soon be "contraband." Here's what the new €10,000 cap really means.

13/11/2025

The Cube

How the internet went wild for fake news about the Louvre heist

From sharing pictures of supposed detectives to snaps of suspects purportedly tied to the Louvre heist case, false claims about the case have gone wild across the internet.

11/11/2025

The Cube

Fact check: Has Marine Le Pen's appeal been denied?

The far-right leader has vowed to exhaust all legal avenues to overturn her five-year ban from public office. Where does she stand in efforts to appeal her sentence?

10/11/2025

The Cube

Viral video of crying Ukrainian soldier sent to front lines is fake

Videos of a crying Ukrainian "conscript" have flooded European social media networks, particularly in Germany and Hungary, this week. The clip, however, appears to be created with help from Sora, OpenAI's new tool.

07/11/2025

The Cube

Is France going to link its digital ID to your social media accounts?

Misleading narratives about digital IDs are commonplace online, as various European countries and the EU itself gear up to introduce them to the public.

06/11/2025