Are there any good ideas as to why this misunderstanding about 4 hours of ACARS data could arise? Is there some system in the middle, such as the airline's server or the satellite account logs or anything like that, which could show what looked like activity from the aircraft even though the aircraft did not send data?
Very trivial example: I can die at 4 o'clock and two hours later someone can see an ad on Facebook with my name being listed as "OlaM likes Boeing 777s" time stamped 6 o'clock- it seems like an act done by me after death, but it's really done by a computer.
Less trivial example: You purchase something on your credit card March 8. You die on March 9. Your statement says you paid for it March 10. Bought by a ghost? No, March 10 was the first business day after Saturday the 8th.
It seems this case is plagued by random statements made by ill-informed or misunderstanding personnel to crazed reporters and the hurtful conspiracy effects will linger for a long time. So what about ACARS can be misunderstood in a way that makes you think the plane flew 4 hours longer than it did?