Conspiracy Theorists Accuse Microsoft of Planning to Remotely Disable Computers
Conspiracy theorists have recently accused tech giant Microsoft of plotting to remotely disable computers that are found to be spreading misinformation online. However, rest assured that this claim is nothing more than a wild conspiracy theory.
The allegation gained traction after Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis, a notorious conspiracy theorist with over 1 million followers, shared a screenshot of a purported news article claiming that Microsoft planned to disable computers of people who share “non-mainstream” content online. The post quickly went viral, garnering over 1.1 million views and sparking outrage among users.
Some users even vowed to boycott Microsoft’s operating system and products in response to the alleged plan. Others took aim at Microsoft founder Bill Gates, despite the fact that he left the company’s board in 2020. It seems that conspiracy theorists always find a way to implicate Gates in something nefarious.
However, it turns out that the claim is completely fake and originated from a fake news site called NewsPunch. This site regularly injects misinformation into actual news, targeting viral topics among the conspiracy movement. In this case, NewsPunch took details from a recent interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, where he discussed reducing the unintended consequences of AI, and falsely claimed that computers would be remotely disabled.
While Dr. Loupis’s post has since been flagged as false on the platform it was shared on, it remains unclear whether this will be enough to counteract the spread of the false claim. Nevertheless, there is no need to worry about a secret AI-powered Bill Gates supercomputer shutting off your computer for stumbling across misinformation.
This incident highlights how easily conspiracy theorists can be taken advantage of when their fears are preyed upon by misinformation artists. It serves as a reminder to always verify information from reliable sources before believing and sharing it.
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Why it matters: The fabricated article from NewsPunch demonstrates how easily conspiracy theorists can be manipulated when their fears are exploited by misinformation artists.
[Source: Daily Dot]