A new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has accused major social media platforms—Meta, X, and YouTube—of amplifying false claims during catastrophic weather events, putting lives at risk while profiting from disinformation.
The report highlights how, during disasters like the Texas floods, LA wildfires, and Hurricane Helene, conspiracy theories about “government lasers” and “geo-engineered hurricanes” spread faster than life-saving updates from emergency agencies.
“Social media companies shamelessly exploited climate catastrophes for profit,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH. “When people can’t tell real emergency aid from online scams, platforms become complicit in the suffering.”
Key Findings:
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Meta: 98% of analyzed posts had no fact-checks or community notes.
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X: 99% lacked fact-checks.
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YouTube: Failed entirely, with 100% of viral content unverified.
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Verified accounts were the worst offenders—88% of false claims on X came from verified users.
The report says Alex Jones’ LA wildfire conspiracy posts on X gained more views than FEMA, the LA Times, and 10 emergency agencies combined in January 2025.
DeSmog deputy editor Sam Bright called the findings “appalling,” adding that climate misinformation now spreads faster than official disaster alerts.
The CCDH warns that as extreme weather worsens, unchecked conspiracy theories will make future disasters deadlier by delaying rescue efforts and undermining trust in emergency agencies.