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 3,233 people killed, 222,977 injured and over $272,944,000 in economic damages

What's the harm in internet misinformation?

There is a great variety of information on the internet. Quite a bit of it is complete nonsense. Relying on unchecked information can be very dangerous.  Read more about internet misinformation

Here are 165 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.

Timo Degen

Age: 31
Munich, Germany

Died
March 1997
After he learned of Breatharianism from a website, this kindergarten teacher decided to try it out. He was fasting for three weeks when he had to be hospitalized in a coma, and later died. Read More & More

Sue Gilliatt

Indianapolis, Indiana

Nose destroyed
Sue (a nurse) had a benign tumor on her nose removed, but was fearful of future cancer. Based on information found on the net, she used a bloodroot product to self-treat. Within days her nose was destroyed. Read More & More

Verity Linn

Age: 49
Loch Cam, Sutherland, Scotland

Died
September 16, 1999
She learned of breatharianism via the internet, and decided to go into a complete fast while on a camping trip. Her body was found two weeks later. Read More & More

Richard McCaslin

Age: 37
Bohemian Grove, Monte Rio, California

11 years in prison
January 20, 2002
Horrified by (false) accusations about rituals at the Bohemian Grove he found on a conspiracy theory web site, he slunk into the private club expecting a gunfight. He was arrested and charged with felonies, for which he received a prison sentence. Read More & More

Roy Smith

Age: 42

Years of useless treatments before he died
July 13, 1998
Roy contracted ALS, and even though his doctor had screened him for mercury and found none, websites convinced him it was the cause. He had all his fillings removed and underwent years of chelation and oxygen therapy. Read More & More

Fredrick Töben

Mannheim, Germany

7 months in prison
April 8, 1999 - Nov. 11, 1999
He is a former schoolteacher who runs an Australian based website that denies the Holocaust. He was convicted of violating a German law regarding such claims and sentenced to prison. He was also prosecuted in Australia. Read More

54 hospital workers

Kumamoto, Japan

Sickened by fumes
May 21, 2008
Web sites which post instructions for mixing chemicals to commit suicide are common in Japan. A man who used this info vomited in the hospital and 23 patients and 31 staff were sickened by the fumes. Read More & More

"John Doe"

Age: 38
Davis, California

Argyria (irreversible skin condition)
2005
Colloidal silver remedy found on internet Read More

"John Doe"

Age: 12
Harmånger, Sweden

Died
January 4, 2008
This boy found the rules to a "choking game" on the internet. He tried it and died. Read More

residents of Gisborne, New Zealand

Gisborne, New Zealand

Town disrupted
January 16, 2008
After an American psychic predicted an earthquake for this town, residents clogged government and police phone lines with questions. Rumors spread further via internet web sites. Some fled the town. The quake never came. Read More

 
 
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