US stock photo does not show Chinese factory worker incorrectly using soldering iron

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on August 22, 2023 at 10:20
  • Updated on August 22, 2023 at 10:37
  • 3 min read
  • By Clara IP, AFP Hong Kong

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A photo has surfaced in Chinese-language social media posts that falsely claim it shows a Chinese worker operating a soldering iron by holding it from its heated end. The photo is actually a staged and edited stock photo taken in the United States by photographer Robert Byron. He told AFP the image was a photoshopped composite of a stock photo of the woman with the background image taken at a North Carolina research centre.

The photo was posted by an account on X -- formerly known as Twitter -- with more than 50,000 followers.

"The evil Western world sanctioned the great CCP regime every day," reads the Chinese-language post from July 31, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

"But the great CCP regime sent a woman to kill the West instantly by using a soldering iron with her bare hands! Easily surpass the 0.1 mm chip threshold!" it adds, apparently referring to recent advances in Chinese technology (archived link).

The post appears to joke that the Chinese manufacturing industry is so advanced that a factory worker could hold a soldering iron with her bare hands.

The two images show a woman holding the heating element of a soldering iron and the headline of a news report from Chinese state media CCTV that reads: "Chinese manufacturing industry reaches new heights -- how to further sharpen skills. Breakthrough of the 0.01mm deviation, with constant progress on core technology".

A screenshot, taken on August 21, 2023, of the false post.

The same photo was shared in similar posts on X, Weibo and Gettr.

Stock image

A reverse image search and keyword searches on Google found the photo published in 2016 on Shutterstock, a US-based stock photo site.

AFP found an archived version of the photo -- which is no longer available on Shutterstock's website -- which was captured on March 16, 2016.

"Beautiful woman repair soldering a printed circuit board," the photo's caption says.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the false post (left) and the photo on Shutterstock (right):

A screenshot comparison of the photo in the false post (left) and the photo on Shutterstock (right). 

AFP found the same photo on photographer Rob Byron's personal website, along with a similar picture that shows the same woman holding a soldering iron, but against a white backdrop.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the false post (left) and the photo with a white backdrop on Byron's website (right):

A screenshot comparison of the photo in the false post (left) and the photo on Byron's website (right).

Byron confirmed to AFP on August 4 via Instagram direct message that the model was photographed in a studio and was later photoshopped over the background. The photo of the background was taken in the research area of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, he said.

"The model is from North Carolina, the same place where the picture was made," Byron said.

AFP found more photos shot by Byron of the model posing as people in different professions, including as a doctor and a construction worker.

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