The response to my coverage of yesterday’s protests reveals the worrying number of people taken in by dangerous disinformation.

Pandemic conspiracy theories are merging with QAnon - with many
emailing me to explain how coronavirus is a hoax used to cover up child trafficking

And my coverage of vaccine conspiracy theories on Friday has similarly highlighted how many have fallen victim to vaccine disinfo already.

The comments on local and parent Facebook groups where I’ve been investigating this stuff - and also in my mentions below! https://twitter.com/mariannaspring/status/1299411852661862402

To be clear - those emailing me and in my mentions could easily be coordinated groups and trolling campaigns.

But comparing this to emails I’ve received before and a quick look at their profiles makes me very concerned about how many are being exposed to conspiracy theories.

It would seem the average person is being exposed to these dangerous disinfo - and either radicalised or at least having seeds of doubt sown in their mind. With real world consequences.

Responsibility for limiting exposure lies primarily with social media sites and governments.

I wrote about how coronavirus conspiracy theories are merging with QAnon for @BBCWorld

Not only on social media, but also offline at protests like yesterday!