From secret ‘energy weapon’ starting fires to a global cabal razing the town for an experiment – false theories are fast gaining ground
In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires in Maui, misinformation and conspiracy theories have spread online, underscoring the shortcomings of social media firms’ enforcement policies following disasters.Conspiracy theories including that the fire was started intentionally by a secret “energy weapon” and that a shadowy cabal of global elites set the blazes purposefully to clear the land for their own nefarious uses have gained popularity.
While the wildfires bring a new layer to such discourse, the posts echo toxic rhetoric in the past, including the “great replacement theory” – a baseless idea spouted by far-right figureheads like former US president Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson that there is an intentional and systematic effort to replace white Americans.
“We know companies like Meta weigh the most important material on the platforms based on engagement, which often tends to be either vitriolic content, conspiratorial content or something that’s controversial,” said Katie Paul, director of the non-profit tech watchdog the Tech Transparency Project . “After disasters, when there is a lot of online content related to a particular event, these mechanisms help to amplify some of that harmful content above more authoritative sources.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An email to Twitter, now known as X, received an automated response. TikTok responded to a request for comment by directing the Guardian to itson misinformation, which bans “inaccurate, misleading, or false content that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent”. A spokesman confirmed the platform had removed five videos flagged by the Guardian that contained misinformation about the Maui fires.
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