Blackout Predicted For November 17
Image: São Paulo Secreto
The rumor
A viral rumor claims that a massive 72-hour global or nationwide blackout will take place on November 17. People are sharing this claim on social media, linking it to various current events and claiming it was predicted by the television show The Simpsons.
The rumor caught on quickly because it combines popular anxieties about cyberattacks and infrastructure failures with the internet's fascination with fictional prophecies attributed to The Simpsons.
The truth
According to the reports, there is no upcoming blackout on November 17. Nacionale reports that the date actually belongs to a one-minute TV and radio alert test.
El Mundo America and São Paulo Secreto state that the rumor's origin relates to emergency drills and Civil Defense calls for 72-hour emergency kits, which have been misinterpreted or sensationalized on social media alongside unrelated events like the blackout in the Canary Islands.
Where it is being claimed
The claim is going viral on social media and became a top search term on Google in Brazil.
In short False
What is true
- Civil Defense called for 72-hour emergency kits, according to São Paulo Secreto.
- An emergency drill and a one-minute TV and radio alert test take place around this date, according to El Mundo America and Nacionale.
What is false
- There is no global or nationwide blackout coming on November 17.
- The date does not mark a 72-hour power cut.
Sources
- El Mundo America – Will there be a blackout on November 17? The truth about a rumor that is going viral and was already predicted by The Simpsons
- São Paulo Secreto – The truth about the “global blackout” on November 17: why the Civil Defense called for 72-hour emergency kits and the real danger of El Niño
- Euro Weekly News – Spain’s November 17 blackout scare: Is a global power cut really coming?
- Nacionale – Is there a blackout on November 17? No. The date belongs to a one-minute TV and radio alert test