Rumors suggest that a worldwide internet outage might occur starting November 17, with some reports even mentioning a potential three-month disruption. These circulating claims have prompted users to advise one another to stockpile necessities, withdraw cash, and acquire physical assets like gold and silver bullion.
Origins of the Internet Shutdown Theories
The discussion gained traction in social media starting in late October. According to media reports and fact-checkers, the initial source was a user on the X social network under the handle Wesley, who reportedly claimed to have information from the 'darknet'.
This user posted under the title 'Straight from the darknet,' referencing an 'unconfirmed source.' His 'prophecy' detailed a sequence of events beginning with a supposed 'COVID 2.0,' involving hacking attacks on major banks, complete data destruction, and thousands of accounts showing zero balances.
The narrative continued with the alleged global network shutdown lasting for three months, during which a 'highly advanced artificial intelligence' would supposedly eliminate all vulnerabilities. The post garnered significant attention, accumulating approximately 5.3 million views, 13 thousand likes, and 4.6 thousand reposts.
What Fact-Checkers Note
Fact-checkers have observed that these discussions coincided with several publications from certain ministries of Western countries.
Summary Points
- Rumors suggest a global internet shutdown starting November 17
- The initial source was a user on X named Wesley
- The claims involve bank hacks and a three-month network outage
- The posts gained millions of views and thousands of shares
