Twitter adds fact-checking labels to tweets falsely linking COVID-19 to 5G

Twitter has started adding fact-checking labels on tweets that falsely link the COVID-19 pandemic to 5G technology.

The label displayed under the tweet reads: “Get the facts on COVID-19.” Once you click on the label, you’ll be redirected to a thread titled “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus.” The thread includes links to official sources and articles that disprove the conspiracy theory.

Twitter announced last month that it was going to add labels to tweets that included misleading and disputed information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

There has been a rise in the number of theories that link 5G deployment to the virus. Some theorists falsely claim that 5G deployment has created the virus, while some claim that COVID-19 is a coverup for 5G deployment.

The conspiracy theories first started gaining popularity in the U.K., where more than 50 cell towers have been set ablaze. The theories have since made their way to Canada. Last month, at least seven cell towers in Quebec were found ablaze.

In response to the popularity of the conspiracy theories, the federal government launched a website to combat them.

The website states that “there have been claims linking the deployment of 5G networks to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and to increased risks of cancer. Health Canada confirms that there is no scientific basis for these claims.”

Twitter is not the only popular platform to crack down on 5G conspiracy theories, as YouTube said that it is limiting the spread of videos that make false claims about the technology and COVID-19.

Source: Business Insider