You’ve probably heard about an alleged “global blackout” that would affect São Paulo and the entire planet on November 17. This rumor spread rapidly across social media and became one of the top search terms among Brazilians on Google last week.
The story gained even more traction starting last Friday (6), when the National Civil Defense Agency instructed the public to put together emergency kits. The announcement caused many people to panic and led them to the false belief that they needed to stockpile food and supplies in preparation for some imminent tragedy.
Amid this confusion, important questions remain: Will the global blackout really happen? Is the government’s warning related to this “theory”? And, ultimately, should we take precautions? Let’s set the record straight.
Global blackout on November 17: how a fake news story went viral in Brazil
The narrative of the global blackout perfectly illustrates how misinformation works today. Creators of fake news take real, isolated facts, distort their contexts, and then weave everything together into an alarmist narrative with no scientific basis that causes panic among the public.
On November 17, for example, the United States will test its emergency alert system. Radio and television stations across the United States will pause their programming to broadcast a test message—a preventive measure that takes place every three years. But it does not cause a power outage or internet outage—not even in the U.S., much less worldwide.
In addition, the internet dug up an episode of “The Simpsons” that depicts a blackout in the city of Springfield the day before Thanksgiving. Since the series is known for “predicting the future,” many people associated the plot with the present day, but the episode made no mention of a global blackout or the year 2026. Incidentally, Thanksgiving this year falls on November 26, which further distances the fiction from reality.
Finally, the rumors also mention a cyberattack that would leave the planet without electricity and the internet for 90 days. Although hacker attacks against critical infrastructure do occur sporadically, global power grids operate through independent systems and physical infrastructure. Therefore, technology experts say it is highly unlikely that an attack could take down all of the planet’s power grids simultaneously.
And what about the Civil Defense’s warning to stockpile food?
If the energy apocalypse is nothing more than fiction, why did the Brazilian government recommend caution? After the panic on social media, the Civil Defense clarified that the warning is a routine awareness campaign. The goal is to prepare the public to deal with specific natural disasters, such as floods and the heavy summer rains in São Paulo.
Several countries are currently running similar campaigns, but rest assured: it’s not because of a blackout! Authorities are investing in preventive measures due to El Niño 2026, which is causing extreme weather conditions worldwide. Since prevention is better than cure, Civil Defense agencies and similar organizations around the world are already teaching the public how to respond in extreme situations.
That said, the recommendation to assemble an emergency kit (with water, flashlights, and non-perishable items for 72 hours) is part of a culture of public safety. Consequently, the public can (and should) take precautions against temporary blackouts, floods, or storms, but there is no need to stockpile all the food from the supermarket out of fear of the “apocalyptic blackout” being circulated on social media.
