A new type of Bill Gates conspiracy theory is going viral on Facebook

At the time of writing, for instance, one Facebook page with more than 288,000 likes and 450,000 followers is hosting at least two videos featuring interviews with conspiracy theorist David Icke. The videos are from interviews Icke did with London Real, which have been edited to add Arabic subtitles. One has been watched more than two million times. (In April 2020 Facebook and YouTube removed a London Real video featuring Icke that falsely linked Covid-19 and 5G; Icke’s own channels were removed from Facebook in May 2020).

The translated London Real videos featuring Icke are just a small part of the output of the Center for Reality and Historical Studies, which the ISD research describes as a “dubious online content hub” and a “conspiracy superspreader”. As well as its hugely popular Facebook page the Center has its own website and a string of other social media channels where it posts its own videos and translated videos.

The ISD research says the Center, which brands itself as a think tank, hosts videos on Facebook that include claims alleging that a Jewish cabal runs the world, conspiracies about Gates, 5G and conspiracies about the World Economic Forum. One of its Facebook video playlists, which contains 47, has been viewed more than ten million times. The Center did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

“It has all manner of videos saying that the vaccines are dangerous, they’re not safe, that Covid is a hoax, that it’s been orchestrated by a technocratic cult,” O’Connor says. The ISD also points to one 27-minute video hosted on the Facebook page that says the pandemic was “orchestrated to make you fearful to take the vaccine”. The video has been debunked numerous times but this Arabic version has not been labelled as misleading.

The ISD says videos posted by the Center between March 2020 and the end of February 2021 have been viewed more than 25 million times. During that time the number of likes on the page has increased by 65 per cent. “This is sophisticated,” O’Connor adds. “This is an operation [by] people who are trying to influence the debate.”

As well as its main Facebook page, the Center also has a backup page and has told its followers to like this in case it gets removed. It also points people towards its Telegram channel and presence on other social media platforms. Following the publication of this story, Facebook removed the Center’s Facebook page.

The Center has also been posting videos to YouTube. The Google-owned platform removed the Center’s main channel and backup channel following the ISD’s research. YouTube says the channels broke its terms of service, although did not specify which ones – the Center also previously had a page that was removed from YouTube. After YouTube removed the channels, the Center’s still-live Facebook page posted an image with a frowning face and links to its website, Twitch and Telegram channels.

“It’s not just a Facebook challenge,” Ayad says. “It just happens to be most of the content that we can track and monitor is on Facebook, and it’s connecting us to some of the other stuff.” Ayad argues that social media companies need to work more closely with civil society groups and employ local expertise to effectively fight conspiracy theories and misinformation online, regardless of where they are spreading. “You’re leaving the Arabic stuff up there to fester,” he says. “Ultimately, it causes this intellectual rot, where it becomes more and more in the mainstream.”

Updated 09.04.21, 17:00 GMT: The Center for Reality and Historical Studies has now been removed by Facebook for breaching its policies

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