There’s no scientific evidence to suggest a link, but the theories have been spreading widely on social networks like Facebook and Nextdoor.
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“Not only are these claims baseless, they are harmful for the people and businesses that rely on the continuity of our services,” says a joint statement from EE, o2, Three, and Vodafone. “They have also led to the abuse of our engineers and, in some cases, prevented essential network maintenance taking place.”
Vodafone confirmed to the The Verge that four cell towers were targeted in a 24-hour period on Friday. EE said that one tower in Birmingham didn’t even provide 5G services but was set on fire anyway. The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) has branded the conspiracy theories “crackpot” and called on social networks to do more to stop them spreading.
Mobile networks in the UK are classified as critical national infrastructure, and the attacks come at a crucial time as the UK battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Vodafone CEO Nick Jeffrey called the attacks a “matter of national security,” and pleaded with people not to share the fake conspiracy theories.
Theverge