Bill Gates Is Frustrated That COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Never End On Social Media

Billionaire Bill Gates is frustrated and complains to tech companies. (photo: Instagram @thisbillgates)

JAKARTA - Billionaire Bill Gates is frustrated and complaining to technology companies, especially those who own social media, about conspiracy theories that are widespread on the platform. Mention, he used the COVID-19 vaccine as an advantage.

Various conspiracy theories have emerged accusing Gates of being the person behind administering the COVID-19 vaccine, and of using it for people control, profit, and depopulation purposes.

In fact, some claim, he wants to microchip people. The Microsoft co-founder denied this, calling it a fake story and misinformation.

"Perhaps I should have complained a lot more, but I definitely pointed out fake stories when they were published, or even people that highlighted almost ridiculous misinformation," Gates said in an interview with ABC news program, 7.30, quoted Tuesday, February 7.

"There's this constant dialogue of anybody who gets, you know, this crazy stuff published, goes to a digital platform and says, 'Hey, look at this, look at that,'" he added.

Early in the pandemic, when governments around the world were struggling, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated $751 million to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than any other country except Germany.

Gates claims that traditional news sources are amplifying the spread of conspiracy theories about his involvement in the global vaccine campaign.

"I think it's more of the mainstream media bringing it up, even though it's ridiculous. It's more of spreading the word," Gates said.

Gates had been the target of conspiracy theories long before the COVID-19 pandemic, where there were unproven assumptions he was involved in the 2015 spread of the Zika virus, apparently stemming from his donations to the development and testing of genetically modified mosquitoes.

And COVID-19 has made Gates back in the headlines, with multiple posts on social media platforms and in mobile messages accusing the philanthropy of trying to track the population through vaccinations.

One post, shared more than 16,000 times, falsely claimed Gates was a partner in the Wuhan, China virus lab and another falsely quoted a French specialist in infectious diseases urging Africans not to take Bill Gates' vaccine against COVID-19.

However, despite the spread of misinformation online, Gates said he is optimistic about the future of social media.

"We have a future generation that will hopefully be creative about social media and how we can make it more of a force for good," Gates explained.