About HATENE

HATENE means “to know” in local language Tetun. Our mission is to spread awareness on Media & Information Literacy: giving every person in Timor-Leste a simple tool to check what they see online — before they believe it, and before they share it.

Timor-Leste now has around 687,000 social media users — about 48% of the population — and Facebook accounts for more than 85% of social media activity. For many young people, Facebook is their main source of news and information. At the same time, fake profiles, cash-aid scams, miracle-cure posts, and recycled disaster photos are spreading quickly, often targeting first-time or less digitally literate users. When one false post goes viral, it can cost families money, damage trust in institutions, and create fear in communities. HATENE helps young people “hatene first — to know before believing” by teaching simple checks and building a shared, searchable memory of local hoaxes, so the whole community becomes safer and smarter online. Source: DataReportal — Digital 2026: Timor-Leste