Thread by @SohanDsouza

So, per this "Disinfo Lab" outfit, @pranshuverma_ was 'qoofed by @raqib_naik into incorrectly reporting in the WaPo that @HindutvaWatchIn was founded in April 2021. Sounds serious. Let's look into it, shall we? 🤨🔍
#OSINT
archive.ph/443vv

https://twitter.com/DisinfoLab/status/1708108427984281699

First of all, yes, the domain was last registered in 2019. The article already acknowledges this. 📰🧐
archive.ph/P1YSI

There is, however, a difference between registering web properties for a project, and actually launching it. For a website, by actually publishing content. Fortunately, we have something called @Wayback that can help us find out when that happened. 💁📜
web.archive.org/web/2021041500…

There are three snapshots between 2017 and 2018



A content template, and then no content at all. 💻🤷 web.archive.org/web/2017011003…
web.archive.org/web/2018010922…
web.archive.org/web/2018032503…

Then nothing through 2019. Since the domain was last registered in 2019, the likely reason is that whoever previously held it let it lapse. The next capture's on 2020/APR/20 ( ).
Hmm, looks like a launch.
So, did HW start in April 2020, at least? 💩🤔 web.archive.org/web/2020042006…

Not so fast. 🛑
See, the content on the site remains almost entirely the same through the next whole year, into 2021/APR/18 ( ).
Meaning this is a placeholder. A mock-up. 👷🚧
It cannot reasonably be labeled as having been "founded" at this time. web.archive.org/web/2021041805…

But come 2021/APR/28 ( ), the content changes to date-labeled then-current news and data.
And is updated regularly thenceforth.
Confirming @pranshuverma_'s reporting of @HindutvaWatchIn's April 2021 actual founding date. 🧾✅ web.archive.org/web/2021042813…

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