Rashid A Mughal
AS the virus travels from country to country and the daily death toll constantly rising and ringing alarm bells everywhere, the conspiracy theories make headlines and breaking news in print and electronic media. According to the BBC, Jordan Sather, conspiracy theory YouTuber supporting the far-right QA “non conspiracy theory” and the” anti-vax” movement, has falsely claimed the outbreak was a population control scheme created by Pirbright Institute in England and by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. This belief is held mostly by right-wing libertarians, NWO conspiracy theorists, and Christian Fundamentalists. Some also think that this is a “man made” instrument to save billions of dollars being paid and spent on elderly segment of population as pension and social security. Facts and figures have shown that almost 95% of the deaths from this virus are of those who fall in the age bracket 50 and above because of their weak immune system. Coronavirus is a timely warning to all human beings, everywhere, from nature to correct course and change before it gets too late for them.
On February 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) described a “massive infodemic”, citing an over-abundance of reported information, accurate and false, about the virus that “makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.” The WHO stated that the high demand for timely and trustworthy information has incentivised the creation of a direct WHO 24/7 myth-busting hotline where its communication and social media teams have been monitoring and responding to misinformation through its website and social media pages. The WHO specifically debunked several claims as false, including the claim that a person can tell if they have the virus or not simply by holding their breath; the claim that drinking large amounts of water will protect against the virus; and the claim that gargling salt water prevents infection.
Facebook, Twitter and Google said they were working with WHO to address “misinformation”. In a blogpost, Facebook stated they would remove content flagged by global health organizations and local authorities that violate its content policy on misinformation leading to “physical harm”. Facebook is also giving free advertising to WHO. At the end of February, Amazon removed over one million products claimed to cure or protect against coronavirus, and removed tens of thousands of listings for health products whose prices were “significantly higher than recent prices offered on or off Amazon”, although numerous items were “still being sold at unusually high prices” as of February 28. Millions of instances of COVID-19 misinformation has been seen across a number of online platforms. Other fake news researchers noted certain rumours started in China and then later many of these same rumors spread to Korea and the United States prompting several universities in Korea to start the multilingual Facts Before Rumors campaign to separate common claims seen online.
Many newspapers with pay walls lowered them for some or all of their coronavirus coverage. Many scientific publishers made scientific papers related to the outbreak open access. Some scientists chose to share their results quickly on preprint servers such as bioRxiv. In February 2020, BBC reported that conspiracy theorists on social media groups alleged a link between coronavirus and 5G mobile networks, claiming that Wuhan and Diamond Princess outbreaks were directly caused by electromagnetic fields and the introduction of 5G and wireless technologies. Some conspiracy theorists also alleged that the Coronavirus outbreak was cover-up for a 5G-related illness. In March 2020, Thomas Cowan, a holistic medical practitioner who trained as a physician and operates on probation with Medical Board of California, alleged that Coronavirus is caused by 5G, based on the claims that African countries were not affected significantly by the pandemic and Africa was not a 5G region. Cowan also falsely alleged that the viruses were wastes from cells that are poisoned by electromagnetic fields and historical viral pandemics coincided with major developments in radio technology. The video of his allegations went viral; both claims and video, which were endorsed by singer Keri Hilson, were criticized on social media and debunked by Reuters, USA Today, Full Fact and American Public Health Association Executive Director Georges C Benjamin.
Engineers working for “Open reach” have had to resort to posting pleas on anti-5G Facebook groups asking to be spared abuse as they are not involved with maintaining mobile networks. Mobile UK said that the incidents were affecting attempts to maintain networks that support home working and provide critical connections to vulnerable customers, emergency services and hospitals. A widely circulated video shows people working for broadband company “Community Fiber” being abused by a woman who accuses them of installing 5G as part of a plan to kill the population. After telecommunications masts in several parts of the United Kingdom were torched, British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the theory that COVID-19 virus may be spread by 5G wireless communication is “just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well.” Vodafone announced that two Vodafone masts and two it shares with O2 had been targeted. YouTube announced that it would reduce amount of content claiming links between 5G and Coronavirus though it would result in losing advertising revenue. Videos that are conspiratorial about 5G that do not mention coronavirus would not be removed, though they might be considered “borderline content”. Coronavirus is a timely warning to all human beings, everywhere, from nature to correct course and change before it gets too late for them. Some also cite Malthus theory of population which states that natural calamities and such diseases are part of a divine law to control exponential increase of population and punish those who flout Allah’s commands. This is our belief as Muslims and we are witnessing it with our own eyes.
— The writer is former DG (Emigration) and consultant ILO, IOM.
