"The analysis reveals that EMF misinformation circulates in a predominantly pseudo-expert communicative register rather than overtly inflammatory language, is structurally embedded within broader conspiracy ecosystems rather than circulating as standalone content, and is sustained by commercial incentive structures alongside ideological motivations."
"While the pandemic-era peak in activity has subsided, the underlying network infrastructure remains intact."
"Public perception of health risks from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and 5G mobile networks diverges persistently from the scientific evidence base, a gap increasingly shaped by social media."
"This reference database was compiled from publications of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS), the German Commission on Radiological Protection (Strahlenschutzkommission, SSK), and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU). The language model then compared the claims in the post against the retrieved reference material. Posts containing assertions unsupported or contradicted by the reference base were flagged as potential misinformation."
"The criterion is deliberately consensus-referenced. It does not adjudicate the scientific validity of individual claims and cannot, by construction, distinguish deliberate false information from legitimate scientific disagreement. Content which engages critically with contested areas of EMF research would in principle be flagged."
"Data collection followed a seed-user approach with iterative network expansion. An initial set of accounts known to disseminate EMF-related content was identified through manual research across all platforms, yielding a starting list of 12 Telegram channels, 49 Twitter/X accounts, and 28 YouTube channels."
"Automated language detection was applied to prioritize German-language content. The combination of generous API access and the platform’s group-based architecture made Telegram the largest dataset by a substantial margin."
Location
📍 Germany
Beyond the 5G-COVID moment: the scope of EMF mis- and disinformation on German-language social media
Tobias Eder et al. (2026, in press) Journal of Radiological Protection Journal Level 1ⓘ
To cite this article before publication: Tobias Eder et al 2026 J. Radiol. Prot. in press https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/aea624
