Hacker News with Generative AI: Conspiracy Theories

Your phone isn't secretly listening to you, but the truth is more disturbing (newatlas.com)
Perhaps one of the most pervasive longstanding technology conspiracy theories is that your smartphone is constantly listening in on your private conversations.
Privacy, Technology, Conspiracy Theories, Smartphones
64 points by zeech 5 hours ago | 49 comments
Anti-Vaxxers Are Grifting Off the Measles Outbreak and Claim Bioweapon Caused It (wired.com)
Anti-vaccine activists with close ties to US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are falsely claiming that the measles public health crisis in Texas is caused by a “bioweapon” targeting the Mennonite community.
Health, Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories, Public Health
25 points by mohi-kalantari 4 days ago | 7 comments
White House replaces covid.gov website with 'lab leak' theory (techcrunch.com)
The government-run website covid.gov used to host information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment. Now, under President Trump’s purview, the page redirects to a White House website espousing the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Politics, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories, Government Websites
19 points by ljf 7 days ago | 13 comments
'Lab Leak,' a flashy page on the virus' origins, replaces government Covid sites (npr.org)
The White House has taken down some government websites providing COVID-19 information and replaced them with a new boldly styled page dedicated to the controversial theory that the pandemic was caused by the virus leaking from a Chinese government laboratory.
COVID-19, Government, Conspiracy Theories, Science
14 points by anigbrowl 7 days ago | 2 comments
White House replaces covid.gov website with 'lab leak' theory (techcrunch.com)
The government-run website covid.gov used to host information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment. Now, under President Trump’s purview, the page redirects to a White House website espousing the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Politics, Government, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories
18 points by gpi 7 days ago | 0 comments
Trump Turns Covid.gov into a Lab Leak Theory Fan Page (gizmodo.com)
The White House has changed covid.gov into a website for promoting the so-called lab leak theory for the origins of covid-19.
Politics, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories, Government Websites
30 points by rntn 7 days ago | 0 comments
Lab Leak: The True Origins of Covid-19 – The White House (whitehouse.gov)
“The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature.
COVID-19, Science, Politics, Conspiracy Theories
18 points by janmo 8 days ago | 6 comments
Conspiracies Are Often Unnecessary (curi.us)
David Deutsch wrote an article about conspiracy theories and we had conversations about them. It's an interesting topic which is worth analyzing not just dismissing. I now think he was right about some of the logic of his analysis, but wrong about how it applies to the world. Deutsch says:
Conspiracy Theories, Logic, Analysis
5 points by speckx 10 days ago | 0 comments
John Titor (wikipedia.org)
John Titor and TimeTravel_0 are pseudonyms used in communications and on internet forums between 1998 and 2001 by an individual claiming to be an American military time traveler from the year 2036.[1][2]
Time Travel, Internet Culture, History, Conspiracy Theories
6 points by sans_souse 18 days ago | 0 comments
Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds? (nytimes.com)
In a climate-controlled bunker in an unremarkable building in rural Aberdeen, Idaho, there are shelves upon shelves of meticulously labeled boxes of seed.
Elon Musk, Seeds, Climate Change, Survivalism, Conspiracy Theories
13 points by xbmcuser 31 days ago | 8 comments
Poor sleep may fuel conspiracy beliefs, research suggests (medicalxpress.com)
A new study from the University of Nottingham has revealed that poor sleep quality may increase susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs, with depression likely playing a key role in this relationship.
Sleep, Mental Health, Conspiracy Theories, Psychology
8 points by PaulHoule 34 days ago | 0 comments
The Canadian roots of Elon Musk's conspiracist grandpa (cbc.ca)
Raised in Saskatchewan, Joshua Haldeman was a tech-utopian, politician and apartheid fan
Elon Musk, Canada, History, Politics, Conspiracy Theories
12 points by raattgift 36 days ago | 0 comments
The CIA is a Terrorist Organization [video] (youtube.com)
Politics, Conspiracy Theories, Media
11 points by xbmcuser 37 days ago | 0 comments
PARANOIA SANS a self-censoring, conspiratorial typeface (fleg.de)
Moon Landing: PARANOIA SANS is a self-censoring, conspiratorial typeface that will automatically redact more than 150 words popular in conspiracy myths/theories.
Typography, Design, Conspiracy Theories
4 points by bj-rn 42 days ago | 0 comments
Why is there so much [deleted] on Reddit, they clearly didn't delete themselves? (ycombinator.com)
I can't ask this question on Reddit, because I have serious suspicions and the moderators banned me for fun when I registered on my LanskoyK account. If you open these questions on the Internet by searching on Reddit itself, the main answers are deleted along with the users, it's the same in politics, and not only there.
Reddit, Censorship, Social Media, Moderation, Conspiracy Theories
11 points by Lanskoy_Kirill 48 days ago | 10 comments
Memes are a key tool for extremist communities and conspiracy theories (elpais.com)
Memes are not just a simple game of images and text, with more or less irony or grace. According to the Institute for Digital Safety and Behaviour (IDSB) of the University of Bath in the UK, they are the main “internet language for communicating narratives in simple, shareable formats,” “cultural representations” that unite and involve groups. But this popular communication tool is not harmless.
Social Media, Conspiracy Theories, Extremism, Communication, Culture
13 points by geox 52 days ago | 6 comments
Ukraine's $500B rare earths scam:they don't exist, and we should know [video] (youtube.com)
Ukraine, Rare Earths, Conspiracy Theories, Geopolitics, Media
7 points by xbmcuser 56 days ago | 2 comments
The FBI's lab leak investigation (vanityfair.com)
In the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, China, a bitter international debate has raged among scientists, politicians, and journalists over the virus’s origin and who is to blame for the more than 7 million deaths it’s caused worldwide.
COVID-19, Politics, International Relations, Conspiracy Theories
16 points by purglet 57 days ago | 17 comments
A son spent a year trying to save his father from conspiracy theories (npr.org)
About a year ago, my dad bet me $10,000 that he could foretell the future.
Family Relationships, Conspiracy Theories, Social Impact
82 points by js2 58 days ago | 94 comments
Theory on Jack Dorsey Is Satoshi (twitter.com)
Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Jack Dorsey, Conspiracy Theories
7 points by amrrs 66 days ago | 2 comments
Belief of Aliens Derailed This Internet Pioneer's Career. Now He's Facing Prison (bloomberg.com)
One day in August 2021, Joseph Firmage walked into a video production studio in Salt Lake City and declared that he was going to change the world.
Technology, Conspiracy Theories, Careers
32 points by helsinkiandrew 76 days ago | 12 comments
There is No Antimemetics Division (wikidot.com)
Fiction, Conspiracy Theories, Internet Culture
38 points by 0x62 78 days ago | 3 comments
The Zizians (2020) (zizians.info)
Attendants of the 2019 CFAR alumni reunion were shocked to arrive at Camp Meeker only to be turned away by police. The venue was occupied by five masked protesters in black robes. Surrounding them were several police cruisers, SWAT, and a helicopter. The figures who were reportedly there to protest had made themselves seem too sinister, and the police response was based on the procedure for dealing with a mass shooting.
Protests, Police, Security, Conspiracy Theories, Events
75 points by sd9 84 days ago | 7 comments
Forgeries, Fakes, and Phantom Time (historytoday.com)
According to some, written history began in the 14th century. It may seem ridiculous, but the Phantom Time conspiracy theory has serious implications.
History, Conspiracy Theories, Historiography
37 points by samclemens 85 days ago | 13 comments
Trump orders release of last JFK, RFK, King assassination files (yahoo.com)
US President Donald Trump ordered the declassification Thursday of the last secret files on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, a case that still fuels conspiracy theories more than 60 years after his death.
US Politics, History, Assassination, Conspiracy Theories
16 points by 2-3-7-43-1807 91 days ago | 10 comments
Better digital literacy can help reduce climate and disaster conspiracy theories (theconversation.com)
In recent years, the proliferation of conspiracy theories amid escalating climate disasters and their aftermath has become an alarming trend.
Climate Change, Conspiracy Theories, Digital Literacy
11 points by billybuckwheat 92 days ago | 1 comments
Why They're Forcing Electric Cars on Us [video] (youtube.com)
Electric Vehicles, Climate Change, Opinion, Conspiracy Theories
3 points by teleforce 96 days ago | 0 comments
Soon to be out of a job Meta's fact-checkers battle wildfire conspiracy theories (cnn.com)
Meta, Fact-Checking, Conspiracy Theories, Social Media, Journalism
6 points by cdme 102 days ago | 0 comments
"Project Russia," Unknown in the West, Reveals Putin's Playbook (washingtonspectator.org)
Between 2005 and 2010, a set of books called “Project Russia” was distributed to high-ranking officials in the Russian government and other influential thought leaders. The books offered a detailed program of spiritual warfare against Western democracies culminating in “controlled global collapse” and the establishment of a “supranational” state headed by a Prince-Monk who “best understands the world.” The plan described is ultimately a program for subjugating the world, which would also be united together in a single religion.
Politics, Russia, International Relations, Conspiracy Theories, Religion
41 points by api 103 days ago | 34 comments
The consensus on Havana Syndrome is cracking (theatlantic.com)
After long denying the possibility, some intelligence agencies are no longer willing to rule out a mystery weapon.
Intelligence Agencies, Havana Syndrome, Conspiracy Theories, Government
100 points by paulpauper 103 days ago | 128 comments