Mexico’s government says a surge of online disinformation has amplified cartel violence and spread panic since the death of the country's most powerful drug lord. The army attack that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” Sunday triggered retaliatory cartel attacks in about 20 states. More than 70 people died. As residents rushed to phones for information, they found social media posts depicting a country in chaos. In addition to real accounts and warnings, the internet was flooded with disinformation. There were fake videos and images generated by artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, Mexico's government said it identified up to 500 false posts that were misleading or lacked context. A university in Mexico said nearly 25% of those were manipulated by AI or fabricated.
