Is ‘COV-19’ Inscribed on This Piece of 5G Equipment?







An old piece of television equipment was used to further a conspiracy theory about 5G and COVID-19. 







































							False
['A video shows a piece of 5G equipment with "COV-19" inscribed on it.', 'In May 2020, a video emerged and circulated widely on social media that supposedly shows a person revealing the shocking discovery that the word “COV-19” was inscribed on a piece of 5G equipment:', 'But the piece of equipment featured in this video did not come from a 5G tower. This is actually a circuit board from an old set-top television box. The word “COV-19” is also inauthentic.', 'The above-displayed video deals with a widespread (and repeatedly debunked) conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 coronavirus disease was being spread by 5G cellular towers. This is not true.', 'This conspiracy theory is a blend of two other false notions about mobile technology and the COVID-19 global pandemic. First, some people have been expressing concern over the impact of mobile technology on human health for years. These concerns are largely overblown, however, as research from such entities as the World Health Organization has shown that “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.” Second, a number of conspiracy theories concerning the origins of COVID-19 have been floated since the beginning of the pandemic, including the far-fetched idea that the disease was a “bio-weapon.” This, again, is not true.', 'At some point, conspiracy theorists started to tap into general fears about mobile technology in order to spread unfounded rumors about the spread of COVID-19. The man in this video claims he is not an adherent of these conspiracy theories, but mentions that he also can’t explain why “COV-19” was written on a piece of 5G equipment.', 'He states:', '“I don’t really know any product by any company that produces circuitry like this that has the brand name COV-19, but that’s what it says on the fucking circuit board. I’m not a fucking conspiracy theorist, but obviously I’ve read all that stuff online about coronavirus and COVID-19, but why the fuck are they putting circuitry like that in towers like that?”', 'But this piece of equipment was not taken from a 5G tower, and the word “COV-19” was likely added to this circuit board in an attempt to falsify “evidence” for this conspiracy theory.', 'While this video never provides a truly clear glimpse of this piece of equipment, we were able to glean some details by taking screenshots from the video. At one point, for instance, the name of the company that actually manufactured this device (Hannstar) can be seen:', '', 'Hannstar does not manufacture 5G equipment. Hannstar is a Taiwan-based company that makes television parts and computer monitors. We reached out to Hannstar for help identifying this specific piece of equipment and will update this article if more information becomes available.', 'Reuters reported that this circuit board was taken from an old Virgin Media box for cable television. A spokesperson for Virgin Media confirmed to the news outlet where this circuit board came from, saying:', '“That is a board from a very old set top TV box and which never featured any component parts inscribed/stamped/printed or otherwise with COV 19. It has absolutely no relation with any mobile network infrastructure, including that used for 5G.”', 'In addition to the word “Hannstar” being visible on this device and a Virgin Media spokesperson identifying this item as an old TV circuit board, this board also features ports related to television, not mobile technology, such as a SCART plug, a 21-pin connector for connecting pieces of audio-visual equipment:', '', 'In sum, this video does not show “COV-19” inscribed on a piece of 5G equipment but rather a person holding an old circuit board for a television that had “COV-19” added to it. That is why this claim is rated “False.”', 'Lee, Bruce. \xa0 “5G Networks And COVID-19 Coronavirus: Here Are The Latest Conspiracy Theories”\n\xa0 \xa0 Forbes. \xa0 9 April 2020.', 'Foster, Kenneth. \xa0 “5G Is Coming: How Worried Should We Be about the Health Risks?.”\n\xa0 \xa0 Scientific American. \xa0 16 September 2019.', 'Reuters. \xa0 “False Claim: Video Shows 5G Telecoms Equipment Stamped With ‘COV-19’ Ready to be Installed Into a Mast.”\n\xa0 \xa0 15 May 2020.', 'Tijani, Mayowa. “Experts Dismiss Claims That 5G Wireless Technology Created the Novel Coronavirus.”\n\xa0 \xa0 AFP. \xa0 7 April 2020.', 'OfCom. \xa0 “Clearing Up the Myths Around 5G and the Coronavirus.” \xa0 \xa0 17 April 2020.', 'Schenk, Maarten. \xa0 “Fact Check: Worker Did NOT Expose COV-19 Circuit Boards Being Installed in 5G Towers.”\n\xa0 \xa0 Lead Stories. \xa0 15 May 2020.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', 'A complete story is rarely told in a headline.', 'Social media rumors that two memorials in New York were vandalized proved misleading.', 'In August 2019, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man died after an encounter with police officers in Aurora, Colorado.', 'A chaotic scene in St. Louis sparked outrage, memes, and confusion.', 'Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on sex abuse charges connected to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.', 'The white supremacist group made frequent use of the slogan more recently embraced by President Donald Trump, though they did not, as some claim, invent it.', "The question of past arrests often surfaces among people who want to rationalize police officers' actions when Black men are killed in custody.", 'You can claim anything if you remove the barrier of evidence.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', '© 1995 - 2020 by Snopes Media Group Inc.', 'This material may not be reproduced without permission.', 'Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com']
Is 'COV-19' Inscribed on This Piece of 5G Equipment?