Build a conspiracy theory from scratch.
The best way to learn to spot a conspiracy theory is to make one yourself.
Pick a real news story. On the next step you'll choose who's behind it and why. Then walk through the four moves real conspiracists use, with a debunk on every step.
- Hunt anomalies — turn coincidence into evidence of a secret plot.
- Fabricate connections — draw lines between unrelated dots until they look meaningful.
- Dismiss counter-evidence — if a fact disagrees, make the fact part of the cover-up.
- Discredit the critics — dismiss people who point out flaws in your theory.
Pick the event.
Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.
Meta seeks EU consent for ads
Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, says it will start asking users in the European Union for permission to show personalized advertising. The move follows regulatory rulings that challenged Meta’s data-collection methods for targeted ads. Rather than relying on a “legitimate interest” justification, Meta has conceded it must obtain explicit consent under EU data-protection rules before using people’s personal data to tailor ads on its platforms.
Fitbit App Redesigned for Fall
Google plans to release a redesigned Fitbit app this fall that reorganizes the interface into three main tabs: "Today," "Coach," and "You." The refreshed app will display daily health statistics, offer motivational and coaching content, and present goal overviews and trends. Google says the update will improve how fitness data is presented and protected, and it appears visually aligned with leaked looks of the upcoming Pixel Watch 2 and possibly the Pixel 8 phones.
LHC Conspiracy Theories and Fears
In 2009 the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a giant particle accelerator near Geneva run by CERN, was preparing to restart after upgrades. Scientists said the machine would smash protons together at very high energies to study fundamental particles and forces, potentially revealing phenomena such as the Higgs boson or signs of new physics. However, some members of the public expressed fear that the machine could produce catastrophic effects, including miniature black holes or other unknown dangers.
Film's production plagued by misfortune
William Friedkin’s 1977 film Sorcerer is a tense thriller about four desperate men hired to transport highly unstable explosives across dangerous, remote roads. Inspired by Georges Arnaud’s novel and echoing the earlier French film The Wages of Fear, Sorcerer aimed for a raw, realistic tone. Friedkin, fresh from the success of The Exorcist, pushed for authentic locations and intense performances to heighten the film’s unrelenting atmosphere.