MBFC's Daily Vetted Fact Checks for 08/16/2025 (Weekend Edition)

Fact Check Search

Media Bias Fact Check selects and publishes fact checks from around the world. We only utilize fact-checkers that are either a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) or have been verified as credible by MBFC. Further, we review each fact check for accuracy before publishing. We fact-check the fact-checkers and let you know their bias. When appropriate, we explain the rating and/or offer our own rating if we disagree with the fact-checker. (D. Van Zandt)

Claim Codes: Red = Fact Check on a Right Claim, Blue = Fact Check on a Left Claim, Black = Not Political/Conspiracy/Pseudoscience/Other

Fact Checker bias rating Codes: Red = Right-Leaning, Green = Least Biased, Blue = Left-Leaning, Black = Unrated by MBFC

BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: Did UK Police Take Locals’ Social Media Details for JD Vance Team? Newsweek rating: False (Thames Valley Police said residents were not asked for their social-media details) Fact Check: Did Police Take Locals’ Social Media Details for JD Vance Team?
MOSTLY TRUE	Claim via Social Media: In August 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicated its intent to purchase artificial intelligence technology that can scan people’s eyes from several feet away to identify immigrants who are in the country illegally. Snopes rating: Mostly True (ICE did announce plans to buy iris-scanning biometric tech from Bi2 Technologies for immigration enforcement, but the system works from 10–15 inches away, not several feet. It is also unclear whether the technology uses AI.) ICE plans to purchase eye-scanning tech to ID unauthorized immigrants
BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: George Floyd statue removed from Smithsonian on the National Mall. Lead Stories rating: False (Satire. There is no George Floyd Statue there.) Fact Check: George Floyd Statue Was NOT Removed From National Mall Or Smithsonian Museum In Washington, D.C.
FALSE	(International: Egypt): Images show “Egyptian youth who put some food, baby formula, rice, and flour in bottles and threw them into the sea, hoping it would reach Gaza.” PolitiFact rating: False (AI) Images of Egyptians throwing bottles to sea are AI-generated

Disclaimer: We are providing links to fact-checks by third-party fact-checkers. If you do not agree with a fact check, please directly contact the source of that fact check.