Noticed a lot of anti-5G chatter on social media lately? April has seen a surge in the spread of 5G conspiracy theories, specifically those linking 5G technologies to COVID-19.
Over the past 6 months the popularity of Google searches for “5G” peaked around April 5th, and the ‘breakout’ search term (a new search term with a sudden burst of popularity) “5G Coronavirus” hitting its peak at the same time.
The theories are convincing enough that people are destroying phone towers, including trying to set them on fire which is incredibly dangerous for obvious reasons.
Vandalism and arson aside (not cool no matter the reason) – the circulating 5G theories and claims raise so many questions.
Here are a few answers.
What do the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theories claim?
It’s complicated (all conspiracy theories are) but there are two main theories connecting COVID-19 to the rollout of 5G networks. The first and most ‘popular’ theory is health-based.
COVID-19 TL;DR version The 5G network transmits using smaller radio waves at a higher frequency than the existing 3G/4G networks, which the theory ‘claims’ can penetrate the body and the radiation suppresses the immune system – therefore, contributing to or even causing COVID-19
People who believe this theory often reference maps that appear to link high cases of COVID-19 with the construction of 5G phone towers.
While the exact origin of this theory is hard to trace (again, it’s hard to identify the source of almost all conspiracy theories), Wired magazine reported this January newspaper interview with Belgian doctor Kris Van Kerckhovenas being the original source – an article they quickly retracted and issued an apology for.
There is a second 5G Coronavirus theory that’s even more niche.
TL;DR Government Plot: Believers claim that COVID-19 is being used as an ‘excuse’ to keep the public inside, so that governments can speed up the construction of 5G towers “against the will of the people”. They claim that the disease is fake, and that the people dying now “would have died anyway” which is just so depraved we just… Honestly, the less said about this theory, the better.
What about the general 5G conspiracy theories?
COVID-19 aside, there are other alternative 5G theories that are also spreading rapidly.
TL;DR Health: Believers still question the health impact of 5G outside of coronavirus – again, they believe that the type of radio waves used to transmit on the 5G networks will cause serious and widespread health impacts similar to other types of radiation exposure.
TL;DR Privacy: Because 5G radio waves are shorter, to work the 5G network needs more towers closer together. Believers think that the increase in towers will allow the big powers that be (e.g.: governments, big corporations, etc) to track the public more closely than ever before, via our phones. This is often paired with a fear that it will be the Chinese Govnerment spying on other countries, as the most advanced type of 5G tech was developed in China.
There is a final theory that 5G radio waves can actually control your own brain waves, which is so nutty we ain’t even getting into it.
Is *any* of this stuff true?
Let’s go through these one by one…
- “COVID-19 is a cover for 5G tower construction”
This is clearly false. Let’s leave it at that. - “5G causes COVID-19”
This is also false. Radiation and viruses work on the body in completely different ways; 5G radio waves exist on the electromagnetic spectrum, while a virus is a tiny, tiny thing, smaller than a single cell, that needs a host to survive, like a parasite. Just because they are both invisible to the eye, does not mean they are the same – they have no relation to each other. - “5G radio waves suppress the immune system/cause health problems”
Radiation can impact health, but it’s the type of wave that makes all the difference. The frequency of the wave determines how it affects cells: low frequency waves are non-ionizing, which means they don’t have enough energy to damage or alter DNA cells, while high frequency waves are ionizing, which means that they can.5G does operate at a higher frequency to the current 4G networks. It ranges from 30 to 300 gigahertz (GHz), which is up to 100 times higher than 4G. However, even at 300GHz it remains a non-ionising wave that sits far below the threshold for the dangerous types of radiation, like UV rays, x-rays and gamma rays. You can see a simple diagram showing the spectrum here.
Bottom line: 5G waves are not the kind that can damage or alter the cells in our body.However, you can rest assured that researchers and scientists are continuing to study the affects of phone radiation on biology. A 2016 study found that extended exposure to cellphone radiation is linked to tumours in male rats, but not female rats or mice of either sex. The research team stressed that this study cannot be extrapolated to effects in humans. Let’s leave it to the professionals. - “The 5G network will be used to track and spy on the public.”
While 5G will allow for faster connections and network speeds, it still works in the same way as your current phone or internet connection does. You can still be hacked on a 3G or 4G network, and the location services on your mobile phone can already be used to identify where you are. None of that is new, it will just happen faster. It’s interesting that the people who perpetuate this theory still use the Internet and social media to spread their message… when that seems to be exactly what they’re fighting against.
Who is spreading these claims?
Cyber intelligence experts say that it looks like these conspiracy theories are being driven by a coordinated ‘disinformation campaign’ – similar to Russia’s campaign interfering with the 2016 U.S. Election.
Researchers at the Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar analysed 22,000 Twitter interactions spreading 5G conspiracies and found that a high number displayed ‘inauthentic activity’ that did not match the behavior of normal accounts. A New-York based analysis firm came to a similar conclusion, suggesting that misinformation was being spread by a coordinated bot campaign designed to manipulate online discussion.
That’s much scarier than the claims themselves – which groups have the ulterior motive to stop the rollout of 5G? Who might this benefit?
Who is believing the claims?
If it *is* a coordinated campaign, it might actually be working. Celebrities including Isabel Lucas, Woody Harrelson and M.I.A have recently shared social media posts containing unsubstantiated claims about 5G.
Further to that, cities around the world are delaying rollout of 5G infrastructure, including Brussels in Belgium. A “Stop 5G” petition gathered over 100,000 signatures before it was removed from Facebook for containing unsubstantiated claims.
Why do people believe 5G conspiracy theories?
As explained in How to Win Every Argument, people tend to gravitate towards conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated science in times of crisis and when trust in government and authorities is low.
It’s a similar phenomenon to the anti-vaccination movement – a group of people rejecting commonly accepted and vigorously tested science in favour of a niche, incorrect theory that helps them understand the scary things that happen to them, like having a young child develop autism.
The world is terrifying, particularly right now. The most helpful thing we can do for each other is look to the facts.
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