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Egypt forms battle plan against fake news

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has warned against the dangers that rumors pose to the country and has announced government plans to combat the spread of false news.
A man reads a newspaper at a bus stop in front of electoral posters in Alexandria, Egypt, October 18, 2015. Egyptians turned out in low numbers on Sunday to vote in the first phase of an election hailed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a milestone on the road to democracy but shunned by critics who say the new chamber will rubber stamp his decisions. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih - GF10000249681
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CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi used a July 22 speech at a joint graduation ceremony for several military institutions to announce that thousands of false rumors have spread in Egypt over the past three months aimed at spreading chaos, instability and frustration among the Egyptian people.

“The real danger is blowing up countries from within," he said. "Rumors, acts of terrorism, loss of hope and feelings of frustration, all these work in a grand network aimed at one objective — only one objective — and that is to move people to destroy their country.”

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