Released on Sunday, the report included infographics titled “Efforts to Counter Rumours in 2025,” highlighting trends in rumour circulation, the most affected sectors, and new government measures to respond more quickly to misinformation.
The centre stated that the state remains committed to addressing rumours and mitigating their negative impact on social stability and national development.
It emphasized the importance of raising public awareness as rumours become increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated. Relevant government bodies are collaborating through an integrated strategy to limit the spread and impact of misinformation.
The Cabinet Media Centre said it monitors and analyses rumour patterns, assesses their effect on public opinion, and quickly debunks misinformation while providing accurate information from official sources.
According to the report, rumours about state development projects accounted for 45.7 percent of all misinformation in 2025, the highest share on record, up from 32.5 percent in 2024. By contrast, rumours about the negative effects of global crises declined to 34.7 percent in 2025, after peaking at 54 percent in 2024.
By sector, the economy led with 20.3 percent, followed by education at 11.4 percent and health at 11 percent. Tourism and antiquities accounted for 10.2 percent, agriculture 9.6 percent, supply 8.8 percent, and energy and fuel 6.1 percent, with smaller shares for social protection, housing, transport, communications, endowments, and the environment.
The fourth quarter of 2025 saw the highest concentration of rumours, mainly in economic, tourism, and health-related topics. October, November, and December each recorded double-digit monthly rates.
The report identified some of the most serious rumours of the year, including claims that downtown Cairo had been sold to a Gulf state, that the Grand Egyptian Museum’s main hall had flooded, and that the government planned to sell Egyptian airports under its state asset programme.
Other false claims involved the Suez Canal, counterfeit gold, a deadly unknown virus, food shortages, electricity cuts, and fake cancer drugs.
Several rumours also targeted major development initiatives, including claims of the failure or sale of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Haya Karima initiative, the New Delta agricultural project, the Universal Health Insurance System, and the high-speed electric rail project.
In response, the prime minister issued new directives in December 2025. These included fast-tracking legislation to regulate the circulation of official data, activating media offices within ministries to counter rumours, and launching a digital verification platform run by the Cabinet Media Centre to fact-check news rapidly.
The cabinet also reviewed a package of legal and institutional measures to curb misinformation, including plans to increase fines under the Penal Code and fast-track a long-delayed law regulating access to official data.
During a meeting in the New Capital, ministers agreed that while existing laws allow action against disinformation, current penalties are not strong enough. They decided to raise fines, particularly under Article 380, and tasked the Ministry of Justice with drafting amendments.
The cabinet discussed the draft access to information law, mandated by Article 68 of the constitution, which aims to expand public access to accurate data while protecting sensitive information and limiting the spread of false content.
Additional measures include strengthening the Cabinet Media Centre and ministerial media offices through formal coordination mechanisms to speed up fact-checking, along with training programmes led by the Ministry of Communications to improve civil servants’ ability to monitor and verify online information.
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