At a time where mobile connectivity is needed the most, masts around the UK are targeted and destroyed. Unfounded conspiracy theories are spreading like wildfires over the internet linking the Covid-19 pandemic and 5G broadband technology.

EE, the network operator told The Guardian that they are investigating the attacks but it looks like the work of arsonists. 

A quick search on Facebook will reveal plenty of 5G groups. Earliest reports of the dangers of 5G exposure, appeared in a Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws back in January 2020.

It took a week for the rumour to spread and fact checking sites were debunking claims about the validity of those rumours. Social media quickly found a connection between the rise of 5G and the pandemic outbreak.

The infrastructure attacked is vital to health workers and emergency services. As of yesterday 77 cell phone towers have been set on fire due to these theories.

(Featured image: Miguel Á. Padriñán / Pexels)

By Carolina Lupanciuc