# Infohazard Infohazard refers to information that harms whoever learns it, a term coined by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom in a 2011 academic paper. SCP Foundation writers carried the concept into online fandom, and by 2021 Twitter users were labeling Chris-Chan trivia and cursed takes as Class IV infohazards in SCP-style mock warnings. ## Origin Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom coined information hazard in a 2011 paper titled Information Hazards: A Typology of Potential Harms from Knowledge[1]. He defined it as a risk that arises from the dissemination of true information that may cause harm or enable some agent to cause harm[1]. The real-world idea predates the label itself, with classified military intel being a textbook case of knowledge that endangers whoever carries it[3]. Horror fiction gave the word its online currency before Twitter picked it up. H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos features the Yellow Sign, a symbol that places readers under the King in Yellow's control[6]. The SCP Foundation collaborative wiki later made the trope central to its catalog, with SCP-2521 as the signature example: a Keter-class entity that attacks anyone who speaks or writes its name[2]. - **Platform:** Academic paper (origin) / Twitter and SCP Foundation (viral spread) - **Creator:** Nick Bostrom (term origin); meme usage creator unknown - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview Infohazard posts work by labeling some piece of knowledge as something the reader will regret reading. Writers often slap SCP-style class labels on their subject, declaring a joke Keter-class threat or a Class IV infohazard to the brain, so the gag sits on the gap between the gravity of the term and the triviality of what gets flagged[3]. Common targets include Chris-Chan trivia, divisive political discourse like the learn-to-code meme, and body-horror factoids such as locking your knees too hard cutting off circulation[3]. Urban Dictionary defines the slang as information that can be dangerous to know about, listing exactly those kinds of self-sabotage anatomy facts as examples[5]. Posters use infohazard as a mock disclaimer the post itself never honors, since reading the warning means the damage is already done. ## How to Use A typical infohazard post sets up a factoid, screenshot or clip, then labels it with mock SCP terminology like Class IV or Keter-class, warning the audience that reading further damages them. Some posters use the word on its own as a one-word reaction to something they find mentally cursed, often paired with a quote retweet of the offending content. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Infohazard? Infohazard is slang for information that harms whoever acquires it, a concept originally defined by philosopher Nick Bostrom and later adopted as a joke label on social media[1][3]. ### Where did Infohazard come from? Nick Bostrom coined information hazard in his 2011 paper Information Hazards: A Typology of Potential Harms from Knowledge, and SCP Foundation fiction later carried the term into online usage[1][2]. ### What does Infohazard mean? In Bostrom's definition it means a risk from spreading true information that enables harm; online, it is used more loosely for any fact a poster claims will mentally damage the reader[1][5]. ### How do you use Infohazard? Posters tag a cursed factoid, clip or opinion with the word infohazard, often adding SCP-style class labels like Class IV or Keter-class as a mock warning to anyone who scrolls past[3][4]. ### Is Infohazard still popular? Posts using the term appeared across major platforms into 2023 and the SCP Foundation wiki still maintains an active infohazard tag, so the slang is still in circulation[3][4]. ## References 1. [https://nickbostrom.com/information-hazards.pdf]() 2. [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2521]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/infohazard]() 4. [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/system:page-tags/tag/infohazard]() 5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Infohazard]() 6. [https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Yellow_Sign]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/infohazard Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library