What happened was that the government found out that some people are happy to jump around like marionets no matter how absurd the information being disseminated is.
If you’re traveling abroad and don’t fully understand the ins and outs of your plan, just keep the cell data turned off and buy a burner when you get there.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve never had the urge to stare directly at the sun, for the same reason I never had the urge to hit myself with a hammer.