By: Umme Kulsum
April 1 2022
An image of Klaus Schwab with a fake tweet from the WEF is being shared to propagate the Great Reset Conspiracy.
A screenshot purportedly showing a tweet from the World Economic Forum's (WEF) verified Twitter account is circulating on social media. The screenshot quotes the WEF's executive chairman Klaus Schwab saying the internet must be "reformed" as part of the "Great Reset." The post was shared on Facebook on March 27, gaining much attention on social media. Some user comments suggested the idea of a worldwide internet shutdown, citing this screenshot. However, the screenshot has been digitally manipulated. Klaus Schwab's name was misspelled in the alleged tweet as Klaus "Schawb." Upon investigation, a keyword search of the WEF's tweets found no record of the purported tweet as of March 22, 2022, the supposed date when the tweet was posted. Furthermore, we found that the image of Klaus Schwab used in the screenshot was from 2018. The same image is available on Getty Images from a briefing at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi on September 11, 2018. Logically has previously debunked a claim purporting WEF's intent to shut down the internet by linking it to the cybersecurity group Cyber Polygon 2021 and Great Reset conspiracy theories. The Associated Press (AP) debunked a similar claim regarding WEF's intent to regulate the internet, saying that the screenshot was fabricated. With regards to the purported tweet, a WEF representative, Amanda Russo, was quoted as saying "This is categorically fake and another blatant attempt by pushers of fake news to discredit the World Economic Forum and spread misinformation." The claim aligns with the New World Order and COVID-19 conspiracy theories. The WEF in 2020 launched a COVID-19 pandemic recovery initiative called the "Great Reset," and conspiracy theorists connected that initiative to the antisemitic New World Order conspiracy.