While most probably seem laughable to the technically literate, some of these theories have spread like wildfire and had significant real-world impacts. And although most are complete fabrications, some do contain a kernel of truth — and others have turned out to be eerily accurate. Here's a rundown of some of the most pernicious technology conspiracy theories.
The Large Hadron Collider, operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, has been an obsession with conspiracy theorists almost since its opening in 2008. The organization has even seen it necessary to have a dedicated page on its website responding to some of the more outlandish claims.
Unsurprisingly, physicists swiftly debunked these ideas. The collider uses magnetic fields to accelerate protons to extremely high speeds before smashing them together to create smaller particles. The goal is to discover new elementary particles that could help test theories about how the Universe works.
Tracking microchips in COVID-19 vaccines
Verdict: Not True
The theory’s origins can be traced to March 2020, when Bill Gates participated in a Reddit discussion about digital health passports. A Swedish website dedicated to biohacking misinterpreted his comments and published an article saying the billionaire wanted to use microchip implants to fight the pandemic.
But by January 2021, one in 10 American adults believed the theory. More worryingly, a poll found that one in four Americans said they were uncertain whether vaccines contained microchips. The conspiracy was built on years of anti-vaccine disinformation, and further fuelled the vaccine hesitancy that made it so hard to control the pandemic.
One of the prominent conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic was that 5G networks spread the virus. (Image credit: AerialPerspective Images/Getty Images)
Another COVID-19 related conspiracy theory that gained significant traction claimed that the disease was being spread by newly installed 5G cellular networks. The theory became so widespread that cell towers were set on fire in several countries, and social media platforms were forced to actively combat its spread.
The fears likely built on top of existing concerns about the health impacts of radiation from cellphone towers. But there is no credible evidence that existing technology causes health problems, and 5G should raise even fewer concerns. The radio frequency waves used by these networks are forms of non-ionizing radiation, meaning they lack the energy to damage DNA or cells in ways that could cause disease. High-band 5G uses millimetre wave frequencies that cannot even penetrate human skin.
The dead internet theory
The dead internet theory proposes that the web is now dominated by bots interacting with each other with minimal human involvement. The idea has been around for several years, but has been further fuelled by the recent rise of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and agents.
While the extent to which this is true is debatable, there is an element of truth to the theory. Studies show bot traffic was responsible for 51% of all internet activity in 2024 — the first time bots surpassed humans. And since ChatGPT's launch, AI-generated content has exploded, with another study finding that 13.1% of websites now host such material.
Verdict: Partially True
While these specific claims are patently false, like many good conspiracy theories, they contain a kernel of truth. The U.S. government had been interested in weather control as far back as 1891 and had a serious "weather weapons" program in the form of Operation Popeye between 1967 and 1972 during the Vietnam War. Such practices were banned by the Environmental Modification Treaty in 1977.
Proposals to fight climate change via solar geoengineering have also further fuelled conspiracy theories. This would involve spreading tiny particles in the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight. But these approaches are a long way from the kind of weaponized weather control conspiracists dream of.
Phones eavesdrop on you for ad targeting
Could smartphones be spying on us? (Image credit: tim scott via Getty Images)Many people have had the eerie experience of seeing ads for products appearing on their phone shortly after discussing them offline. This has led to a persistent belief that smartphones secretly listen to our conversations for advertising purposes.
For a start, constant audio recording would rapidly drain phone batteries and trigger visible indicators on phone displays. More importantly, unauthorized recording would create enormous legal liability for those who engaged in it.
Verdict: Partially True
The idea has circulated for a long time and has some truth to it. There is historical evidence that companies have pursued obsolescence as a strategy — in the 1920s, for instance, major light bulb manufacturers came together to form the "Phoebus cartel," which colluded to reduce bulb lifespans to just 1,000 hours. General Motors also pioneered annual model changes to entice customers to buy newer vehicles, creating a template that other industries copied. Technology vendors are particularly guilty — think smartphones with batteries that degrade in just a few years, or no longer support software updates.
Government-sponsored mind control programs
Verdict: True
While that specific claim has been firmly debunked, the idea that the U.S. government is attempting to control people’s minds is not so outlandish. In 1953, CIA director Allen Dulles launched a top secret program called MKUltra aimed at developing exactly those kinds of capabilities. The agency covertly contracted out 162 projects to various universities, research foundations and institutions to study how psychoactive drugs, hypnosis, electroshock therapy, sensory deprivation and various forms of torture could be used to manipulate people’s mental states.
Investigative reporting by the New York Times uncovered the project in 1974 and led to a series of congressional hearings. But the bulk of documents related to the project had been destroyed the year before, meaning the true extent of the program remains a mystery.
Widespread digital surveillance
Paranoia around the government’s ability to listen in on our phone calls or online communications is a defining feature of many conspiracy theories. But in June 2013, former CIA contractor Edward Snowden leaked a treasure trove of classified documents to journalists that validated many of these fears.
Related storiesThe revelations uncovered a mass surveillance network operated by U.S. intelligence agencies and their foreign allies to collect phone records and monitor internet activity across the globe. Most prominently, it uncovered the PRISM program, operated by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), which used secret court orders to demand internet communication data from technology companies.
The reports lead to widespread outrage because the surveillance targeted not only suspected terrorists and criminals but also ordinary citizens, journalists, corporations and 35 foreign leaders – most notably the phone of the German chancellor at the time, Angela Merkel. But despite an initial public outcry, Congress renewed many of these surveillance programs in 2018 with little debate, suggesting that widespread government surveillance remains alive and well.
Test your knowledge of unfounded beliefs, from flat Earth to lizard people with our conspiracy theory quiz!
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