Because the government is so determined to keep it secret. Not just legitimately secret tests, but things like refusing to confirm the base exists (when it's easily visible from a number of publicly accessible vantage points). When the government acts like that, people are driven by a combination of curiosity, paranoia, and well, basically trolling, to find out what's there. Honestly, if they'd just said what everyone knew--we test secret planes out there, please stay away or we will take action--they'd probably have less of a problem. But when the response to "What are you doing at that base?" Is "What base?" when it is obvious that there is. In fact, a base then you're pretty much inviting conspiracy theories.
Arbitrary_Capricious t1_j6or2sg wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why are people so obsessed with uncovering whats in area 51? by NdavG100
Because the government is so determined to keep it secret. Not just legitimately secret tests, but things like refusing to confirm the base exists (when it's easily visible from a number of publicly accessible vantage points). When the government acts like that, people are driven by a combination of curiosity, paranoia, and well, basically trolling, to find out what's there. Honestly, if they'd just said what everyone knew--we test secret planes out there, please stay away or we will take action--they'd probably have less of a problem. But when the response to "What are you doing at that base?" Is "What base?" when it is obvious that there is. In fact, a base then you're pretty much inviting conspiracy theories.