February 2, 2021 at 4:54 p.m.
- In May 2020, an emerging conspiracy theory claimed that Bill Gates sought to implant microchips on a global scale using the coronavirus vaccine.
- Medical device maker ApiJect developed a new, self-contained vaccine and syringe product that tracks administration using an embedded microchip.
- A confluence of misinformation perpetuates the myth that new COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips used to track individuals.
- Currently, it’s impossible to put tiny microchips in a vaccine or other fluid intended for injection in humans or animals.
- The smallest microchip, developed by IBM, is 1 mm x 1 mm, visible to the naked eye, and requires a power source.
The Birth of the Microchip Vaccine Hoax
Misinformation spreads like wildfire these days. As the Internet evolves, private companies continue to sequester users under their dominions. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and every other social media company wants you to keep watching advertisements. They’ll do whatever it takes to keep eyeballs on screens, even if it spreads misinformation.
Some tech corporations address misinformation better than others. After encouraging a historic insurrection, Twitter permanently banned Donald Trump, even though it will cost the company billions of dollars. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have chosen to appease the public, with largely temporary, symbolic gestures, as their lucrative firebrands continue to generate revenue through their own accounts or proxies.
The vaccine microchip rumor surfaced on social media in May of 2020. The conspiracy theory contends that Bill Gates is behind vaccine development, scheming to implant the global population with microchips. The supposed goal is to track individuals. The rumor was quickly adopted and spread by the head of the Russian Communist Party, along with Trump associate Roger Stone.
The misinformation campaign worked. In May 2020, a YouGov poll revealed that 28% of Americans believed in the microchip vaccine conspiracy theory. The motive, although unclear, seems to be rooted in smearing the opposition in the 2020 campaign. Although Donald Trump now takes credit for the vaccine, some are still skeptical, including many frontline healthcare workers.
It appears that even the most outlandish conspiracy theories can cast doubt, even among educated healthcare professionals. If it doesn’t directly convert people, the misinformation contributes to a climate of vaccine skepticism.
Bill Gates Clueless About Vaccines
History has shown Bill Gates to be utterly clueless about the COVID-19 vaccine. In an interview with CNBC nine months ago, the tech billionaire claimed that a vaccine is 18 months away. He didn’t just overestimate this figure by a little. He more than doubled it.
If Bill Gates has little awareness of the vaccine development timeline, it’s doubtful he concocted a brilliant scheme to track users with cutting edge technology. Microsoft has a motive, as their smartphone platform died out years ago. They simply lack any scientific ability to carry out such a technologically advanced plan.
Microsoft recently broke the fingerprint scanner on my laptop after an update. The company doesn’t have the prowess or capability to track users with microscopic chips. They can barely keep their operating system stable. Microsoft tracks you extensively on Windows 10, and, like many other tech corporations, they can buy information from others more adept at monitoring users. There’s no need to track people with mythical, injectable microchips.
Microchips Still Too Big and Tracking Would Require External Power
The 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage presented a technologically advanced scenario where a miniaturized, human-crewed submarine attempts to save a prominent scientist’s life. We should all know that this, along with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, is total fiction. It’s not possible to shrink people and objects, let alone submarines, down to microscopic scale. We can’t even seem to reduce the waistlines of mostly overweight Americans, let alone shrivel submarines down to injectable sizes.
Although this is ludicrous, many seem to believe it’s possible to inject microchips into human beings for tracking purposes. The smallest microchip in the world, developed by IBM, is one square millimeter. Although that may seem small, injecting a tiny, foreign object into the bloodstream would likely cause strokes or other severe disorders. Microchips also need power sources to run if transmitting data is required.
While it’s true that RFID chips currently reside in many humans and animals, these devices are comparatively large and unsuited for injection into the bloodstream. Instead, surgeons implant them below the skin. Furthermore, without power sources, these RFID implants use electromagnetic power from a reader to function. They can’t actively send information, making them impossible to track remotely.
A microscopic, injectable chip designed to track users is simply not possible at this point. This conspiracy theory is entirely false and has no merit whatsoever.
A Microchipped Vaccine Would Be Impossible to Keep Secret
Although thousands of people were involved in the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, skeptics feel that the whole endeavor is fake. They argue that, due to camera angles and other coincidences, the entire lunar landing took place in a movie studio.
Obviously, we know this is a myth. Millions of Americans saw the moon landing on television with their own eyes. Thousands were involved in the project. Conspiracies involving thousands of people simply don’t exist. There are too many people involved to keep the plot under wraps.
With thousands of people involved in vaccine development, various COVID-19 preventatives can’t possibly harbor clandestine tracking electronics. Whistleblowers would have alerted the public if it were at all possible. As with most conspiracy theories that would involve thousands of conspirators, this myth is entirely false. It originated from the Kremlin, not from a subject matter expert.
ApiJect Syringe Has Microchip
The only truth surrounding microchips and the COVID-19 vaccine is that ApiJect created an injection-tracking syringe. Its pre-filled, one-time use syringe contains a microchip to track administration data.
Beyond tracking, the ApiJect syringe is pre-filled and unbreakable. It’s not without controversy, however. The main objection to the ApiJect Blow-Fill-Seal syringe is that it’s unproven technology. U.S. International Development Finance Corp loaned the company $590 million to produce self-contained COVID-19 vaccination syringes, with microchip technology. So far, the project serves as a contingency. However, it’s essential to understand that only the syringe has a chip, not the vaccine itself.
The Russia/Trump/Stone Connection
One of the most dangerous conspiracy theories of all time once again sheds light on a relationship between the Kremlin, Donald Trump, and Roger Stone. The theory, originally emanating from the Russian Communist Party, was quickly echoed by Stone. Although there’s no direct link, Trump’s closest ally has an unmistakable pattern of repeating misinformation from Russia. If there’s no direct collusion, at a minimum, they’re enabling Russia to meddle with the United States’ stability.
This is all the more reason social media needs to step up and squash these rumors before they get out of control. Facebook exposed 44,000 individuals to the vaccine microchip myth before it deleted the post. With the post deleted, the misinformed continued to share falsehoods using technology or casual conversation.
Perhaps it’s time for companies like Facebook to only post content from suspect accounts if approved by moderation. The current situation, where social media giants attempt to put the genie back in the bottle, in some poor attempt at damage control, doesn’t work. By the time the falsehoods are detected, it’s too late.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for social media companies to pre-emptively moderate content. Doing so would see top-earning celebrities, like Donald Trump, heading off to other platforms. Such practices are also expensive and would involve hiring a legion of new moderators. Social media seeks to reduce costs, relying on user reports and shakey AI to flag controversial posts. Many casual users would also bristle at such heavy-handed moderation.
It’s difficult to calculate the costs accumulated by the microchip vaccine myth. With fewer people willing to be vaccinated, the disease will continue to spread and kill people, despite several viable vaccines. None of this seems to bother social media companies, who seem to avert blame as they earn revenues from conspiracy theories and firebrands.