Disclaimer: This blog post discusses creepy and strange internet mysteries, read at your own risk.
Hi friends! Happy Friday. As promised, Freaky Friday Files IS BACK this week! WOOOOOHOOO. I hope you're excited, so strap yourself in for some creepy things this week.
This week we are going to discuss 5 of the most interesting internet mysteries (well to me) that no one can solve, so get your popcorn ready.
Here's the list of internet mysteries we are going to cover today:
Number 1: Cicada 3301
Do ya'll remember the internet back in 2012? It was a time - I was spending most nights scrolling Tumblr until midnight and just being a bit of a reclusive teenager (mum always said "I'm surprised you never rebelled" - mum I didn't need to, I had plenty of freedom LOL). But between the years 2012 and 2014, there was a series of puzzles that were put online what we now collectively call "Cicada 3301". I believe this is because the logo was a Cicada.
The first puzzle was put online on the 4th of January 2012 on 4chan. Does 4chan even still exist? Oh yep, just googled it, ugh, it does.
The second puzzle was posted exactly one year later on the 4th of January 2013 (I assume on 4chan as well).
And the third puzzle was posted on Twitter this time on the 4th of January 2014. According to Wikipedia, the third puzzle has been solved and we have not seen any since.
According to an article in The Guardian, the first puzzle included a message that read:
"Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test.
There is a message hidden in this image.
Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through.
Good luck."
And with that message was an image of a duck
Feel free to go ahead and find the other puzzles, should you wish. Each puzzle focused heavily on things like data security, internet anonymity, steganography, and cryptography. Stuff that is way too hard for me! My brain doesn't think that way, it's more of a sociological abstract critical thinking kinda brain.
Since the posting of these puzzles, there has never been a definite answer as to what they were for - just pure speculation, some even linking it to the creation of QAnon. However, there has been no claim from anyone from Cicada 3301 to say they are linked to QAnon. Other speculative theories have suggested that Cicada 3301 is a secret society or even a religion OR cult! Most likely, in my opinion, I think it's probably some sort of fancy hi-tech software development OR a security company but that's just my opinion.
In 2013, a person called Marcus Wanner solved one of the puzzles. You can watch a really interesting YouTube video about that below:
People who solved these puzzles were asked questions about censorship or rejection of it, online privacy and freedom, and support/lack of support of online freedom. If these people gave "satisfactory" answers, they were then invited to a private online forum (I believe). People were expected to help develop projects created by the group. However, Wanner was unable to finish some of his work and the website was then removed.
Something that I find fascinating is its portrayal in popular culture in one of my favourite shows "Person of Interest". In a 2014 episode of Person of Interest, there was a large-scale game that used worldwide cryptographic puzzles. However, in this episode, a nautilus shell was used instead of a cicada logo. It was confirmed by the creators of the show that Cicada 3301 was the inspiration for this episode. There's also a really good Reddit thread about this internet mystery "here" if you're looking for more speculation.
The Washington Post called this mystery one of the eeriest internet mysteries ever. You can read that article "here". And apparently, there's even a whole movie that was made about it in 2021 that I actually had no idea about. It's called "Dark Web: Cicada 3301". Check out the trailer below.
A lot of people said that this movie wasn't an accurate representation of what went on and I can't make any claims on that because a) I didn't participate in it and b) I really don't know. It's as much a mystery to me as it is to you what this was for but I did give my opinions earlier. However, one blogger who blogged about it during 2012 says he can neither confirm nor deny this is how it went down. This blogger is Joel Eriksson from ClevCode. The blog post is a lot of puzzle information and deciphering, so if you're into that, give it a read (it has officially made my brain hurt). If you do want do read some easier articles, check out "this one" and "this one" - they will still probably make your brain hurt, but not as much as Joel's.
In summary, Joel believes that Cicada 3301 is most likely an underground organisation that is not related to a government or intelligence agency (so if it's not the government or spies, what is it?) Maybe Mr. Robot is real.
Number 2: Kanye Quest 3030
Kanye Quest 3030 is a game that was released in 2013 AND Kanye himself didn't license any of his music to this game, so whether he was okay with that or not, I have no idea. The game is an RPG (role-playing game) that was created by independent game developers who were inspired by Kanye's music. The game is set in the year 3030 and it's kinda like an alternative universe where Kanye is the ruler of the world (basically he takes over Lil B as ruler - it's a bit of an odd one LOL).
This game had a lot of mixed reviews, some good and some bad. However, really soon after its release, the game was taken down from the internet and people were unsure why. Even though we do know now who created this game, Clara Hope (from Adelaide - they were named in 2022), there is still speculation about what it was actually for. Clara Hope made this game as part of a high school project and most likely had it taken down due to a cease-and-desist letter from Kanye's lawyers. But there is still speculation that this game was a secret recruitment tool for a cult or that it is a game that predicts the future.
The game also included a mode called "Ascensionism" where if you typed the word "Ascend" to a particular NPC (Non-Playable Character) would take you to a secret section of the game, and eventually would ask you for your information. It has major "culty" vibes to it. If you wanna see the game play, check out this below YouTube video.
What do you think? Do you think this game is actually a cult recruitment tool or is the creator being honest? Let me know in the comments below.
I know one thing for sure, I would not want Kanye as the leader of the world. Would you?
Number 3: GhostNet
GhostNet is one spooky internet mystery and thankfully it's not as complicated to explain as the first two, so this section should be a little bit more bearable to read - but I think my writing is good so I hope you're enjoying it thus far. GhostNet refers to a mass spying operation that was uncovered in 2009 and yes, I said uncovered but that doesn't mean it's still not a mystery. Let me explain.
Emails with really dodgy and sketchy attachments were sent to high-profile targets like government offices and foreign embassies and once opened, spies would gain control of that computer. Now, why I say it's still a mystery is that the command infrastructure of these emails were said to be in China. However, there's no conclusive evidence linking it to the Chinese government. The emails just might have come from there - but we don't really know for sure, it's like a ghost, hence the name "GhostNet". China has since denied any involvement in these cyber attacks. Over 103 countries were targeted.
Number 4: Unfavourable Semicircle
Unfavourable Semicircle was a YouTube account that was active in 2015 (and was then taken down a year later once the BBC reported on it). The channel gained a significant amount of attention due to the videos that would be posted where the videos would include distorted visuals and audio as well as odd graphics. The videos would often be uploaded with the title of a Sagittarius symbol or a random 6 digit number (and no description).
Nothing about the channel made sense and we are unsure why it was banned following the BBC reportings. Many internet sleuths believe that the YouTube channel was an ARG (alternative reality game) or that it was a number station or even a test channel looking for exploits.
I was going to say that this internet mystery was two-fold meaning we don't know what it was for and we don't know why it was banned, but only one of those is true as in 2022, the creator of the channel revealed that it was an art project. We still have no idea why it was banned and we don't really know the identity of the creator either, so I'm definitely saying this one is still a mystery.
Number 5: Broadcasts of UVB-76
Now, this one is creepy AF. UVB-76 also known as "The Buzzer" is a short-wave radio station which broadcasts in the frequency 4625kHz. All it broadcasts is a short montone buzzing sound at approx. 25 tones per minute, 24 hours a day. This station originated in Russia with many people calling it "Russian's Ghost Radio Station". It began in the 1970s and very very occassionally you will hear voices, coded messages, or eerie noises. This radio station is still active in 2024. No government or broadcast officials have ever confirmed what this station is for, which further perpetuates theories of espionage, alien communication, and government experiments. However, some people say that the purpose of this station is to make sure operators at other stations are alert at all times. I dunno, it sounds like it's something created just to mess with people, but that's just my opinion LOL.
Some more "obvious" explainations are that it is just so people don't use the same frequecy for messages or it's a miltary communication tool. You can check those out in the below YouTube video.
That's all folks! See you next time,
Much love,
Ash xoxo
Benji tax! Just because we always need some doggos after learning about creepy topics.
Interesting article - the internet is full of bizarre!
Amaizing