The globe is currently dealing with a pandemic of disinformation as the COVID-19 situation becomes worse. As quickly as SARS-CoV-2 spreads offline, conspiracy theories that act like viruses themselves are doing the same online. The top 10 circulating conspiracies are listed below.
Blaming 5G
It should be simple to disprove this conspiracy hypothesis because it is physiologically impossble for viruses to propagate via electromagnetic waves. The former are biological particles made of proteins and nucleic acids, whereas the later are waves or photons. However, it isn’t really the issue as conspiracy theories sometimes connect events that at first glance can seem unrelated. In this case, the rapid implementation of 5G networks coincided with the epidemic. We now have a popular meme tying the two together, enthusiastically supported by anti-vaccine extremists who have long been propagating misinformation about electromagnetic radiation with Kremlin support.
It’s important to reiterate that viruses cannot move on mobile networks, as the World Health Organization (WHO) notes, and that COVID-19 is spreading quickly in many nations without 5G networks. Nevertheless, this conspiracy theory has resulted in the burning of mobile towers in the UK and other countries after being popularized by celebrities with large social media followings.
Bill Gates as scapegoat
Like viruses, conspiracy theories frequently change and have several iterations circulating at any given moment. Bill Gates, who became a new target of misinformation after politely condemning the defunding of the World Health Organization, appears to be involved in a number of these plots and subplots. The New York Times reports that anti-vaxxers, QAnon members, and right-wing pundits have seized on a video of Bill Gates’ 2015 Ted talk to support their claims that he knew about the COVID pandemic was coming or even deliberately sparked it. Gates discussed the Ebola outbreak and warned of a new pandemic.
The concept that COVID is a component of a nefarious Gates-led scheme to immunize the whole planet is a more contemporary variation of this conspiracy theory, one that is particularly cherished by anti-vaccination campaigners. Vaccinating a large portion of the world’s population may be the only way to prevent an ultimate death toll in the tens of millions, therefore there is some validity to this. But vaccination skeptics deny that they are effective. Instead, a rumor that Gates plans to implant digital microchips that would somehow track and control individuals through a vaccination program has gained traction. The FBI was requested by ID2020, a tiny non-profit organization that works to provide digital IDs for the world’s poorest citizens, as a result of the proliferation of false information. (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributes to the funding of the Cornell Alliance for Science.)
The virus escaped from a Chinese lab
At least this one has the advantage of being believable. It is true that the Chinese city of Wuhan, the initial core of the pandemic, also houses a virology facility where scientists have long been researching bat coronaviruses. Shi Zhengli, a well-known virologist who spent years collecting samples of bat dung in caves and served as the lead expert on the earlier SARS outbreak, was one of these researchers who was so worried about the possibility that she frantically checked lab records for days to see if anything had gone wrong. When genetic sequencing revealed that the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus did not match any of the viruses gathered and analyzed by her lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, she confesses heaving a “sigh of relief.”
However, conspiracy theorists have found it difficult to resist the delectable coincidence that China’s top institute researching bat coronaviruses is located in the same location as the COVID outbreak’s epicenter. The Epoch Times, an English-language news organization located in the United States with ties to the Falun Gong religious movement that has long been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party, was responsible for the polished hour-length documentary that served as the initial inspiration for the project (CCP). In all of its coverage, The Epoch Times insistence on referring to COVID as “the CCP virus.” The Washington Post, the Times (UK), and several other publications have published on the hypothesis as it has now entered the mainstream.
COVID was created as a biological weapon
A spicier variation is that COVID was purposefully manufactured by Chinese scientists as a bioweapon in addition to having escaped from a lab. Nearly three out of ten Americans, according to Pew Research, think that COVID-19 was unintentionally or purposely created in a lab (the former is more popular: specifically, 23 percent believe it was developed intentionally, with only 6 percent believing it was an accident).
On the US political right, the idea that the virus was somehow produced by the Chinese is particularly well-liked. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a Republican, expanded on claims that the Wuhan Institute of Virology “is related to Beijing’s clandestine bio-weapons program,” which were initially published in the Washington Examiner (a very conservative media organization).
Genetic sequencing has provided conclusive scientific proof that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in bats and is a zoonotic virus, which makes this notion easily refutable. Since then, The Examiner has posted a correction at the top of the original article acknowledging that the report is likely incorrect.
The US military imported COVID into China
In response to the anti-China conspiracy theories, the Chinese government developed a counter-conspiracy theory that aims to place the responsibility on the United States. It’s probable that the US military introduced the virus to Wuhan, according to Zhao Lijian, a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, who tweeted this. These remarks “echoed a suspected conspiracy, widely circulated in China, that US military troops had introduced the virus to China during their participation in the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan last October,” according to Voice of America news. This conspiracy hypothesis, along with an attempt to rebrand COVID the “USA virus,” was for China, according to The Atlantic, a blatant “geopolitical tactic” that was effective for home propaganda but not generally accepted outside.
GMOs are somehow to blame
Since genetically modified crops have long been the focus of conspiracy theories, it came as no surprise when they were implicated in the COVID pandemic’s early stages. Francesco Billota, an Italian lawyer, wrote a weird piece for Il Manifesto in early March in which he incorrectly claimed that GM crops lead to genetic pollution that, as a result of the consequent environmental “imbalance,” encourages the spread of viruses. Strangely, anti-GMO activists have also attempted to place the blame on modern agriculture, despite the fact that the virus’s recognized entry point into the human population—as with those of Ebola, HIV, and many others—was through the long-standing custom of hunting and killing wild animals.
Ironically, any vaccination solution will very definitely include GMOs. The only pretty much sure way the world can escape the COVID issue would be if any of the 70 active vaccination projects succeed (which is a huge if). GM attenuated viruses or antigens produced in GM insect cell lines or plants might serve as the basis for vaccines. Maybe GMOs won’t be seen as a filthy term if they really manage to free the planet from the COVID curse.
COVID-19 doesn’t actually exist
Professional conspiracy theorists like David Icke and Alex Jones of InfoWars contend that COVID-19 is a globalist elite ploy to restrict our freedoms rather than a genuine event. Later variants of this theory are already driving anti-lockdown rallies throughout numerous US states. Early, weaker versions of this theory were common on the political right in the idea that the new coronavirus would be “no worse than flu.” Because believers increasingly disregard social isolation rules, they may directly contribute to the spread of the pandemic in their communities and raise the death toll as a result.
The pandemic is being manipulated by the ‘deep state’
Some people think Dr. Anthony Fauci, the public face of the US coronavirus pandemic response, is a covert part of a “deep state” of America’s elite who are planning to unseat the president. During a press briefing, Fauci’s reaction of surprise when the deep state was mentioned apparently gave away the plan.
COVID is a plot by Big Pharma
Many people who spread conspiracy theories are actually skilled performers hawking scam goods. Alex Jones invites viewers to purchase pricey magic medications that he says can heal all known ailments in between tirades about frauds and the New World Order. Vitamins (and countless other things he sells), according to Dr. Mercola, a quack anti-vax and anti-GMO physician who has been banned from Google for spreading false information, may treat or prevent COVID. Another conspiracist website, NaturalNews, offers a wide variety of medications, enchantments, and prep supplies. These conspiracy theorists rely on spreading the myth that traditional, evidence-based medicine is ineffective and that large pharmaceutical firms are behind a scheme to poison us in order to increase their market share. It is hardly unexpected that Big Pharma conspiracies have evolved into coronavirus conspiracy theories as they are a mainstay of anti-vaccination narratives.
COVID death rates are inflated
Another far-right myth is that lockdown orders and other social segregation measures are unnecessary because COVID death statistics are exaggerated. Dr. Annie Bukacek, whose YouTube address warning that COVID death certificates are being faked has been seen more than a quarter of a million times, is prominent in spreading this fallacy. Bukacek presents as a credible medical expert since she is wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around her neck. She is actually a far-right anti-vaccination and anti-abortion activist who was formerly known for carrying miniature plastic fetuses into the Montana state assembly, as Rolling Stone magazine discovered after digging a bit more. Of course, she is not supported by any evidence when she claims that COVID death rates are overstated. More likely than not, the current mortality toll is significantly understated. The Centers for Disease Control have released data concerning extra fatalities linked to COVID-19 to better explain the situation.
How to recognize and debunk conspiracy theories
Whether it is about COVID, climate change, or anything else, it is critical to speak out against online false information and conspiratorial theories. A crucial resource is the guidebook (PDF) written by John Cook and Stephan Lewandowsky, who have both had a great deal of success battling climate denial.
Recall that it is our policy not to connect directly to social media accounts or websites that spread false information and conspiracy theories in order to prevent increasing their prominence.