What started as a bizarre, bogus conspiracy theory involving COVID-19 in Britain has U.S. officials worried about the possibility for real-world violence.
YouTube is bringing fact-checking panels to the United States as part of its efforts to crack down on misinformation, especially in regard to the coronavirus.What started as a bizarre and bogus conspiracy theory involving the novel coronavirus in Britain has apparently crossed the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. law enforcement officials believe, and they are now increasingly worried about the possibility for real-world violence.
Wires of a telecommunications mast damaged by fire are seen in Sparkhill in Birmingham, Britain, April 6, 2020.The assessment was followed on Thursday by a joint intelligence bulletin issued by the FBI, DHS and the National Counterterrorism Center. Both documents were distributed to senior federal officials and law enforcement agencies around the country.
Eileen Culloty, a researcher specializing in countering disinformation at Dublin City University, told ABC News last month that “theories about 5G have been around for years, but were mostly confined to the fringes… For some people, the dramatic upheaval of COVID-19 demands an equally dramatic explanation. That’s the core appeal of a conspiracy theory -- it reduces complexity and coincidence into a simple narrative and points at someone or something to blame.
Internationally, incidents were also reported in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, according to the documents obtained by ABC News. On top of that, union officials in England reported that “telecommunications workers have been threatened with physical violence in light of conspiracy theories linking 5G networks to the spread of COVID-19.”
Videos have also been posted online, showing people how to damage or destroy cell towers, according to the bulletin.
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