How 9/11 Heralded 20 Years of Internet Conspiracy Theories

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, had a profound effect on almost every aspect of modern life, in the United States, and far beyond. The attacks themselves killed thousands, of course, and led to wars that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars in spending. The U.S. government-led response brought far-reaching changes to national security, immigration, air travel, policing, and privacy, and for many millions of Muslims in the United States and other Western countries, life changed overnight.

That day also had a bearing on another important feature of 21st century society — the internet, and how information, good and bad, travels through it.

Dan MacGuill reports.

URGENT: Save Our Snopes

Dear Debunker readers,

Four years ago, we launched a GoFundMe campaign to fight off legal threats, SLAPP lawsuits, and a takeover attempt by hostile shareholders. Many of you stood up and helped, and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate it. We thought we’d have good news to share with you by now, but that is unfortunately not the case.

Although every major court ruling has been in our favor so far, the point of these lawsuits has been — always — to bleed Snopes dry. Now, on the verge of trial, the years of constant legal battles have your favorite fact-checkers in need of rescue.

That’s why we launched one more campaign to Save Our Snopes. Will you help us?

Contribute

Fact Checks and Original Reporting