Our list of the 10 most egregious falsehoods of the year.
The Whoppers of 2020
Issues: conspiracy theories
COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Have Patient-Tracking Devices
A video circulating on social media falsely claims that vaccines for COVID-19 have a microchip that “tracks the location of the patient.” The chip, which is not currently in use, would be attached to the end of a plastic vial and provide information only about the vaccine dose. It cannot track people.
Video Doesn’t Show Election Fraud in Georgia
Conspiracy theorists falsely claimed that a video of an election worker during the Georgia machine recount revealed fraud in the 2020 election. All it showed was an election worker performing a routine part of the process, according to election officials.
Baseless Conspiracy Theory Targets Another Election Technology Company
An unfounded conspiracy theory of widespread election fraud claims that an election technology company called Smartmatic switched votes in the 2020 election. But Smartmatic provided ballot-marking machines to only one U.S. county.
Bogus QAnon Claim that Mail-In Ballots Are Illegitimate
A bogus QAnon-related claim that many of the mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election were illegitimate has spread widely on social media. But the claim is based on the faulty assumption that ballots are produced by the federal government.
Trump’s Long History With Conspiracy Theories
President Trump has exhibited a yearslong pattern of directly espousing or leaning into conspiracy theories, often those that smear his political opponents or critics.
Social Media Posts Dredge Up Baseless ‘Child Trafficking’ Conspiracy Theory
Social media posts are once again making false and baseless claims about high-profile Democrats being involved in child trafficking and sex crimes.
Brad Parscale’s Suicide Threat Sparks Conspiracy Claims
Social media accounts that boost conspiracy theories make a baseless claim that the Clintons were involved in a recent incident at the home of Brad Parscale, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager. The police report describes a domestic dispute during which Parscale threatened suicide.
California Bill Doesn’t Make Pedophilia ‘Legal’
Contrary to QAnon-fueled claims that a California bill would legalize pedophilia, the bill would actually standardize the rules about who is required to be on the state’s sex offender registry.
CDC Did Not ‘Admit Only 6%’ of Recorded Deaths from COVID-19
The CDC hasn’t drastically reduced the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19, but that bogus claim has been circulating widely — boosted by President Trump.