No, this image does not show cheating by the Indonesian electoral commission
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on May 8, 2019 at 09:30
- Updated on May 8, 2019 at 09:30
- 1 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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The photo was shared here in a Facebook post on April 23, 2019. It shows a male student in a classroom with his left jacket sleeve extended onto the desk in front of him -- while he uses his left arm to text on his mobile phone under the desk.
The misleading post’s caption says: “CHEATING. CHEATING. This is another evidence of cheating committed by KPU. Just see the hand ah ah ah!!! The commission is cheating everywhere.”
Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:
The post does not explain how the KPU could be cheating in this manner.
The claim was posted online April 23, six days after Indonesians voted in general elections. Here is an AFP report on the vote.
A Google reverse image search results found the photo has circulated online for years prior to Indonesia’s 2019 election and has been used to illustrate reports on cheating at school examinations.
For example, the photo was published here on December 30, 2011, in a report headlined: “Cheating in school & college days”
It has been used dozens of times since in a similar context. Indonesian news outlet IDN Times published the image in this March 15, 2017, with an article headlined: “17 hilarious things you must have done during high school.”
Below is a screenshot of the photo as seen in the IDN Times article:
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