Newsletter: Bill Gates baby formula conspiracy
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Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today's edition of Internet Insider.
It's Monday, so that means we are kicking off our week with our Tech Reporter Mikael's weekly "One Dumb Conspiracy" column. This week he dives into how conspiracy theorists are convinced babies will be forced to drink formula made by Bill Gates.
In our last newsletter, you (hopefully) read Ramon's column about the "summer of scoops" at the Daily Dot. Well, we've got one for you today from our Politics Reporter Claire. Check it out in today's top stories below.
Let's get to the news.
— A.W.
BIG TECH: A new European Union proposal would require tech companies to scan encrypted messages for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), similar to a proposal from Apple last year that many privacy advocates warned could be misused and “laid the foundation for censorship, surveillance, and persecution.” The EU plan is being called worse than Apple’s plan. Check out our full report here.
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MCU: With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness now out (even with some iffy reviews), it does set up future storylines for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Gavia, our culture reporter, writes, that means there are some specific comics you’ll want to read to stay on top of what is coming next. Check out her two comic recommendations here.
Conspiracy theorists think your babies will be forced to drink Bill Gates formula
Conspiracy theorists are accusing billionaire Bill Gates (as always) of purposely creating the ongoing baby formula shortage in the U.S. as part of a sinister plot.
The shortage, which has become a national crisis, has been building for some time due to a range of factors including recalls, the COVID-19 pandemic, and regulatory and trade policy.
The multitude of issues has led to a perfect storm where 40 percent of formula is out of stock nationwide.
But in the minds of conspiracy theorists, such issues are never seen as complex and nuanced. Instead, all the world’s ills can be blamed on a single issue or person: in this case, Gates. The billionaire is at the center of a number of conspiracy theories about his farmland purchases, attempts to unleash smallpox, and even blocking out the sun.
Users across social media are now pointing to investments Gates has made into synthetic baby formula as proof of him being responsible for the shortage.
Posts on Twitter that cast the issue in a conspiratorial light have earned tens of thousands of retweets and shares.
“Whilst baby formula becomes scarce, Bill Gates begins promoting his new artificial breast milk technology,” one user said. “How very convenient.”
Others pointed to news articles discussing Gates’ venture, showing that the billionaire was in fact investing in alternatives to current baby formulas.
“Bill Gates is heavily invested in lab produced breast milk? And now we have a baby formula shortage?” another asked. “Uh…ok…anyone gonna cover this story?”
Yet the story has received coverage for some time. Gates’ investment in Biomilq, a company which cultures mammary epithelial cells to produce breast milk, was first made in 2020.
Biomilq co-founder and CEO Michelle Egger stated at the time that the effort was aimed primarily at reducing carbon emissions.
Despite this, many conspiracy theorists online urged their followers to avoid the synthetic baby formula at all costs. While others suggested the synthetic baby formula would be secretly used to sterilize the population.
While there are many variations of the conspiracy, they all generally boil down to the claim that store shelves will be flooded with Gates’ milk now that he’s successfully destroyed his competition.
Although there are countless criticisms that can be made of Gates’ influence and power, the entire conspiracy theory crumbles under even the smallest scrutiny.
Biomilq, the startup that received a $3.5 million investment from Gates, says its product won’t be available for at least the next three to five years. The synthetic formula will also need to gain regulatory approval.
But don’t expect conspiracy theorists to share that simple fact as they warn millions online that store shelves will soon be consumed by Gate’s milk.
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👀 TODAY ONLINE
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☕ A woman online says that baristas flirt “so hard” with her boyfriend when she doesn’t go to the coffee shop with him, finding notes like “have a great day” with a heart on the side of the cup.
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*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 BEFORE YOU GO
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