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Image credit: Temporary Temples: Crop Circle Photography by Steve & Karen Alexander/Facebook, Macarena Bechara/Facebook
Fact Check: Doctored Crop Circle Image Shared With Claim Linking Bill Gates To COVID-19
Writer: Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
India, 13 May 2020 6:01 AM GMT | Updated 13 May 2020 9:28 AM GMT
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The Logical Indian Fact check team investigates the claim that a recent crop circle resembling a logo for Microsoft Windows and the "crown" shape associated with coronaviruses hints at a link between Bill Gates and the virus.
Bill and Melinda Gates are hated by anti-vaxxers because their foundation is the single most effective non-governmental agency working in the space of eradicating communicable diseases through vaccination. They've spent billions and shifted global vaccination patterns for the better. They've been a core part of one of the best public health and human health improvement stories of the past 50 years.
In light of this, a graphic has been going around that claims to show a crop circle which combines the "crown" shape of coronaviruses with a logo for Microsoft. The posts aim at hinting at a link between Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and the virus.
"This crop circle appeared recently, featuring the Coronavirus image and the Microsoft logo. Hinting at a link between Bill Gates and the virus?" reads the caption of one such post.
Claim:
A recent crop circle resembling a logo for Microsoft Windows and the "crown" shape associated with coronaviruses hints at a link between Bill Gates and the virus.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. The viral graphic is doctored. A reverse image search led to the original crop circle photo. It was created in a wheat field in Wiltshire, England, in 2004.
The images were posted by a Facebook group called 'Temporary Temples: Crop Circle Photography by Steve & Karen Alexander'.
A website by the same name features several other images of such crop circles. On comparing the two images the similar details can be seen. The original image is on the right and the doctored image is on the left.
Further, Temporary Temples themself gave out a clarification on the photoshopped image on April 30.
"Some of you might have seen the image of a crop circle which has been circulating recently on Facebook depicting the coronavirus and the Windows logo. Although there has been some anticipation that the circle makers might put down a formation this year showing the virus, and then leaving us to interpret what the message might be, this image doing the rounds is Photoshopped taken from a full-page photograph which was included in our book Signs Wonders and Mysteries," they wrote.
What Are Crop Circles?
Crop circles are a large geometric pattern of flattened crops, usually found in fields in southern England.
These are said to be messages from intelligent extraterrestrial life, but many have been proved to be the work of humans.
A 1966 account of a UFO sighting near Tully, Queensland, Australia, was the initial source of inspiration for these crop circles. Reportedly, a flying saucer supposedly landed in a lagoon and left behind a depressed area of reeds.
It is noteworthy to mention that even those who hold the belief that crop circles are messages from extraterrestrials or as unexplained natural phenomena admit that a significant portion is made by humans.
Therefore, the image is doctored and is being used to malign Bill Gates efforts in the space of eradicating communicable diseases through vaccination.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
Also Read: Fact Check: Doctored Photo Attacks Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Amid COVID-19 Vaccine Development
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