In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires in Maui, misinformation and conspiracy theories have spread online, underscoring the shortcomings of social media firms’ enforcement policies following disasters. Conspiracy theories including that the fire was started intentionally by a secret “energy weapon” and that a shadowy cabal of global elites set the blazes purposefully to clear the land for their own nefarious uses have gained popularity. The trend draws on existing far-right tropes that global-minded organizations such as the United Nations and the World Economic Forum are plotting to forcibly move people into “smart cities” where their freedoms will be severely...