QAnon, which supports far-right conspiracy theories, is ramping up its focus on COVID-19 vaccines.
In particular, the group is framing COVID-19 vaccines as bioweapons developed by a coalition of Big Pharma and government officials.
Pushed away from mainstream social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, QAnon adherents have taken to the encrypted instant messaging platform Telegram and the dark web. There, they allege that COVID-19 vaccines are causing scores of deaths and health complications.
QAnon and other similarly-minded groups are spreading conspiracy theories aimed to “create resistance to both the Covid vaccine and various public health measures intended to combat the spread of Covid,” concluded in a recent report from Rutgers and Network Contagion Research Institute.
The unprecedented speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed followed by a chaotic mass vaccination campaign played a role in stoking such conspiracy theories, the report authors concluded. That is, the ample questions surrounding the vaccination campaign enabled QAnon and others to insert a narrative involving “the sinister workings of powerful cabals of bad actors seeking power and domination,” the report concluded.
Mainstream social media sites have cracked down on misinformation related to vaccines, including claims that they contain toxic ingredients or modify recipients’ DNA.
Your link in this article doesn’t even work. I am not sure you know what QAnon even is based on this article. Being concerned about your health and an experimental vaccine is NOT a conspiracy theory. It’s an intelligent person asking questions and not relying on the government’s propaganda. Maybe instead of targeting a group you know nothing about, you should actually research how the vaccine is made and how it works within your body. That is unbiased information everyone of your readers would appreciate.
Thanks for pointing out the dead link. It worked last week, but a new version of the report came out and the link has been updated here.
As for researching vaccines, we have also been covering adverse events and had a piece that described the ingredients of two COVID-19 vaccines: https://www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/whats-behind-the-severe-allergic-reactions-from-covid-19-vaccines/
There are quite a few articles on the internet explaining how the various vaccines work.
I don’t think most medical experts or governments are saying that vaccines have no risk – but that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks.