Twitter has revised its rules to curb the spread of dangerous falsehoods claiming that 5G causes COVID-19—misinformation that has led to mobile towers being burned and telecommunications engineers being harassed and attacked.
On Wednesday, Twitter updated its policy to prohibit:
“Unverified claims that incite people to action, could lead to the destruction or damage of critical infrastructure, or could lead to widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder, such as ‘The National Guard just announced that no more shipments of food will be arriving for two months — run to the grocery store ASAP and buy everything’ or ‘5G causes coronavirus — go destroy the cell towers in your neighborhood!’”
5G networks have been active in many places for years—especially in early-adopter countries such as South Korea. Yet in some regions, the rollout of 5G coincided with the emergence of COVID-19, and that timing helped fuel conspiracy theories linking the two.
Basic science makes clear that radiofrequency signals used by 5G cannot cause viral infections. Only ionizing radiation at much higher energies—such as X-rays or certain forms of ultraviolet light—can damage DNA and increase cancer risk. 5G signals are non-ionizing, and there is no credible evidence that they cause DNA damage or spread viruses.
Several public figures without scientific expertise amplified the 5G–COVID-19 conspiracy on social platforms, increasing its reach and lending it a visibility that encouraged real-world actions.
YouTube was among the first major platforms to take decisive action, removing content that promotes the false claim without supporting evidence.
Facebook has been a major venue for the conspiracy’s spread. Editors and investigators have found groups where users posted videos of towers being set alight and urged others to do the same. Despite reports flagging clear vandalism and the dissemination of false claims, Facebook in some cases determined those posts did not violate its policies and did not remove them.
Beyond the physical damage to infrastructure—cutting off vital lines of communication at a time when people may need them most—engineers working to maintain networks have faced verbal abuse and physical assaults while performing essential duties to keep services running.
The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom issued a statement addressing these incidents:
“There have been reports of 5G masts in some areas of the UK being vandalised and of telecoms engineers being harassed by members of the public.
This is because some people incorrectly blame 5G for being linked to the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
We would like to emphasise that there is no relationship whatsoever between 5G mobile signals and the coronavirus.
Vandalism to mobile phone masts mean other services using those masts stop working. These services could include 3G, 4G and mobile call services. This means people can’t call the emergency services or contact their family. It could also mean that some of the communications equipment used by the emergency services is unable to work properly.
This poses a serious threat to people’s safety.”
Ofcom also highlights that it has tested 5G emissions over many years and publishes measurements of electromagnetic fields (EMF) in cities where 5G is deployed.
Skepticism toward authorities is understandable, but official testing and peer-reviewed science remain far more reliable than unverified social media claims. Before sharing sensational assertions, take a moment to check the scientific evidence and rely on credible sources—doing so helps prevent harm, protects critical infrastructure, and keeps people who maintain essential services safe.
(Photo by Yucel Moran on Unsplash)
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