Tech Giants Join Hands To Fight Fraud & Misinformation About COVID-19

In an unprecedented move, tech giants Microsoft, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube have joined forces to combat COVID-19 related fraud and misinformation on their platforms.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the companies said they are working together to take on the misinformation around the coronavirus on their platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government health departments globally.

“We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world”, the statement read.

Joint Industry Statement from @Facebook, @google, @LinkedIn, @Microsoft, @reddit, @Twitter and @YouTube https://t.co/8H1XVFt2N0 pic.twitter.com/GGJdX7mFKb

— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 17, 2020

Google SOS alert

After the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency, Google, in January, activated an SOS alert for the topic to ensure that the users get direct access to verified safety tips, information and updates from official sources, rather than what comes on top of search results.

(Google has activated an SOS alert to ensure authentic information on COVID-19)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post that the company has “blocked tens of thousands of ads over the last six weeks’ in a crackdown on apps attempting to capitalise on the disease.

Facebook & Instagram 'Information Cards'

While Facebook and Instagram’s efforts include information cards to remove “harmful misinformation” related to COVID-19 from their platforms, they said they will link to information from WHO or local health authorities around the coronavirus and show this at the top of the home feed.

(Instagram linking COVID-19 information to official accounts such as WHO)

Twitter & Coronavirus

Twitter’s measures include “reviewing the Twitter rules in the context of COVID-19 and considering the ways in which they may need to evolve to account for new account behavior.”  The company has also set up a dedicated COVID-19 Event to provide latest facts right at the top of the timeline.

(Twitter showing official links to WHO on top when one searches for COVID19)