1. ID2020, Bill Gates and the Mark of the Beast: how Covid-19 catalyses existing online conspiracy movements
- Author:
- Elise Thomas and Albert Zhang
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Australian Strategic Policy Institute
- Abstract:
- Against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 pandemic, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has become the subject of a diverse and rapidly expanding universe of conspiracy theories. This report takes a close look at a particular variant of the Gates conspiracy theories, which is referred to here as the ID2020 conspiracy (named after the non-profit ID2020 Alliance, which the conspiracy theorists claim has a role in the narrative), as a case study for examining the dynamics of online conspiracy theories on Covid-19. Like many conspiracy theories, that narrative builds on legitimate concerns, in this case about privacy and surveillance in the context of digital identity systems, and distorts them in extreme and unfounded ways. Among the many conspiracy theories now surrounding Gates, this one is particularly worthy of attention because it highlights the way emergent events catalyse existing online conspiracy substrates. In times of crisis, these digital structures—the online communities, the content, the shaping of recommendation algorithms—serve to channel anxious, uncertain individuals towards conspiratorial beliefs. This report focuses primarily on the role and use of those digital structures in proliferating the ID2020 conspiracy.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Internet, COVID-19, and Misinformation
- Political Geography:
- Australia and Global Focus