5G mast attacks risk lives, says Government

FAKE news posts linking 5G mobile signal with the spread of coronavirus are a “crazed conspiracy theory”, Downing Street warned as it said the vandalism of phone masts is putting lives at risk.

Mobile operators reported around 20 masts being damaged in arson and vandalism attacks as well as the workers sent to repair them facing abuse, after a sudden spate of incidents since Friday.

The attacks come after conspiracy theories have started circulating on social media and messaging apps claiming 5G masts are weakening people’s immune systems and causing the virus.

Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, will meet senior tech executives this week to press them to do more to stem the dangerous misinformation.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Secretary of State is due to speak to the big social media firms to be very clear about the need to stop the spread of what is a crazed conspiracy theory. People need to understand that by destroying these masts they’re actually putting lives at risks because these are masts that emergency responders rely upon.”

A mobile industry source told The Daily Telegraph that the destruction of phone masts was randomly smashing up the mobile infrastructure rather than targeting 5G masts.

Gareth Elliott, head of Policy and Communications for Mobile UK, added: “It is also risking the lives of the people who are doing it.”

A spokesman for Facebook said it is taking aggressive steps to remove such theories.

The Daily Telegraph understands that Whatsapp is due to announce curbs on how often frequently-shared messages can be forwarded on to other chats, as part of efforts to stem the spread of viral fake news posts.