The Internet is a dark, mysterious place. Google has indexed a staggering 200 Terabytes worth of its data — 204,800 gigs — and has only just scratched the surface, indexing a mere 0.004% of the total web. It’s out of this ominous, labyrinthine network that a creepy puzzle has emerged.
It all started when tech blog GadgetZZ received an anonymous CD from Poland.
On it was a black-and-white video of a man dressed entirely in black robes and wearing a Black Death plague mask. The figure says nothing throughout the whole video, but holds a blinking light in his hand, suggesting a hidden message. The video also has a warbling sound, which may have contained a message.
Naturally, GadgetZZ posted the video, and asked the Internet for help trying to decipher its meaning.
The first crack at the puzzle came from a Reddit user, who put the audio into a spectogram. A bizarre image came out, which read “You are already dead.” Others who tried decoding the sound also allegedly found pictures of a woman in it, as well as GPS coordinates of the White House.
The CD and video contained a myriad of different codes and images, the most disturbing of which were locked away in the various pieces of audio using a sophisticated cryptographic technique called steganography.
“Now there are so many theories about this. Some say Illuminati, some say serial killer or even a threat directed at me,” an update in the original GadgetZZ post reads. “Perhaps, perhaps not, but I am highly skeptical. It makes sense to send it to me if it’s an elaborate joke or experiment, but if it were a serious threat I doubt it would be sent to a tech blog.”
Others, particularly those on conspiracy theory forums and message boards, feel otherwise.
“My interpretation of this that a whistleblower is telling us that the Shadow Governments (security agencies, rich/elite) are losing control, that they are planning to use biological warfare against the people who are going to inevitably revolt once they realize how deep the corruption goes,” wrote one person on the conspiracy forum Godlike Productions.
Then again, others have suggested that the video is a viral marketing stunt for an upcoming film version of Dan Brown’s Inferno, which has been slated for release in October of next year.