Nothing is at it seems! Or is it? Plus, they're all out to get you.
Want proof? One theory says the CIA has funded an operation that trawls Facebook for data.
Seriously.
Whether the motivations are political, financial, or otherwise, plenty of people are convinced that big businesses and governments are manipulating technology to keep power out of the hands of the people.
Take a look at these conspiracy theories and tell us what you think.
Facebook was allegedly invented by the CIA.
We voluntarily throw all kinds of personal information at Facebook, and the CIA is in the business of collecting information.
The theory is that part of Facebook's funding came from the DARPA Information Office, which was devoted to gathering "as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralized location, for easy perusal by the United States government, including (though not limited to) Internet activity, credit card purchase histories, airline ticket purchases, car rentals, medical records, educational transcripts, driver's licenses, utility bills, tax returns, and any other available data."
In fact, neither the CIA nor DARPA funded Facebook. However, the CIA's venture capital unit, In-Q-Tel, did jointly fund Visible Measures with WPP, an ad agency holding company. Visible Measures gathers information from social media. So, yes, the CIA is watching, just not directly through Facebook. And it's really only collecting the information you're publishing publicly.
Oil and gas firms are allegedly suppressing the electric car.
This is a theory that was teased out pretty extensively in the documentary "Who Killed The Electric Car?"
If you buy the idea, a number of entities ranging from oil and gas companies to the U.S. government itself have put up roadblocks for companies seeking to build a viable electric car. This is allegedly in the effort to keep people dependent on oil and to keep related businesses running smoothly.
Government project HAARP is allegedly an energy weapon that can cause earthquakes.
The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, makes use of powerful antenna arrays to study the ionosphere. The ultimate aim to improve radio and wireless communications technology.
But it's also the object of conspiracy theory. Supposedly, the antennas are actually used for nefarious purposes ranging from weather control to mind control to satellite neutralization.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider