Thursday’s episode of “The Why Files” chronicled one of the craziest conspiracies of the modern era: Cicada 3301.
The episode starts with host A.J. Gentile explaining how, on Jan. 4, 2012, a mysterious message was posted to an online forum. It told users that there was a hidden code within the image, and anyone who could solve it would be “on the road to finding us.” The message was signed by a group calling themselves “3301.”
The code was complicated beyond belief. But when folks started to figure out the message, they really were launched onto one of the most bizarre international quests ever. But why?
Most people haven’t heard of Cicada 3301. Those who are familiar with it believe that the messages and the ongoing quest — which took people from deep within the internet, to the most complex parts of their minds, the real world and the deeper and darker web — was part of an government recruitment program. Others think it’s a hacker group trying to fight online censorship.
Trust me when I tell you, this quest makes King Arthur’s hunt for the Holy Grail look like a walk in the park. People were regularly kicked off the quest for sharing information. Others just gave up. The whole thing was too complicated. (RELATED: One Video Succinctly Depicts The Robot Apocalypse)
You can watch the video here to learn about what it really was. I ain’t giving ya spoilers! What do you think I am?! A monster?
I will say, Cicada 3301 was not the government. And it wasn’t hackers, either.