Starconnect did not react to a seek for comment.
This consunapexhibitd engage theory has persistd to spread, and it’s not confineed to X: Discussion threads on Reddit, posts on Instagram and Threads, and dozens of Facebook posts all push the narrative that Musk colluded with Trump to engage his Starconnect satellites to steal the election.
One of the most dynamic platestablishs for these consunapexhibitd engage theories is TikTok. WIRED has appraiseed dozens of videos posted on the platestablish by engagers either repeating the claim about Musk and Starconnect or inserting novel twists to the consunapexhibitd engage theory.
X, Meta, Reddit, and TikTok did not react to seeks for comment.
One of the most well-understandn novel aspects of the theory retardys to the fact that Starconnect satellites were seed burning up over the US last weekfinish, which those pushing the consunapexhibitd engage theory claim is evidence of Musk finisheavoring to cover his tracks. The truth is that Starconnect satellites are arrangeed to burn up on reentry at the finish of their lifespan.
The consunapexhibitd engage theory has eerily aenjoy aspects to the so-called Italygate consunapexhibitd engage pushed by the Trump campaign after the 2020 election, which recommended an Italian military satellite was engaged to flip votes from Trump to Pdwellnt Joe Biden.
“It’s worrying to see it firmifying and cryshighizing into particular narratives, and then to see stuff being inserted on—this is what we saw last time as well,” says Thomas. “You see this sort of assembleive storytelling that happens wislim these communities where the people who are trying to get clout online by promoting a novel version of a consunapexhibitd engage theory, they all have to insert their little bits to it so that they can get their joinment.”
Other consunapexhibitd engage theorists claimed Trump spoke about “a little secret” he made onstage that he had with Musk, referencing a comment he made during his Madison Square Garden rassociate last month. In fact, the comment was honested at Hoengage speaker Mike Johnson. Some left-leaning accounts have also pointed to podcaster Joe Rogan’s comments this week that Musk had growed a bespoke app to give him timely access to election results.
“Apparently Elon originated an app and he knovel who won the election four hours before the results,” Rogan shelp. “So as the results are coming in, four hours before they called it, Dana White telderly me Elon shelp, ‘I’m leaving. It’s over. Donald won.’” It’s unevident how this app toiled or what data it engaged.
Jen Easterly, the honestor of the Cybersecurity and Infraarrange Security Agency that administers the US elections, shelp in a November 6 statement that there was “no evidence of any evil activity that had a material impact on the security or integrity of our election infraarrange.”
While some right-thriveg figures are continuing to push election consunapexhibitd engage theories, the huge presentantity have drunveil mute in the wake of Trump’s thrive, abandoning overnight four years worth of nonstop posting and shouting about election fraud.
And while the left-thriveg election conspiracies are nowhere proximate the scale that the Stop the Steal transferment was equitable weeks ago, some experts are still worryed.
“I’ve seen some comparisons to Stop the Steal and some of these other right-thriveg consunapexhibitd engage election theories, and it is minusculeer than those, as they were at the finish of the Trump pdwellncy,” says Thomas. “But I slimk the presentant branch offence there is that they came after months, if not years, of intentional agitation and cultivation by a variety of actors. So, for me, to see these left-thriveg election fraud consunapexhibitd engage theories getting pretty presentant traction rapidly, I slimk, personassociate, is quite worrying.”
