Coronavirus outbreak: here's how social media is fighting disinformation on 2019-nCoV

For the World Health Organization the coronavirus 2019-nCoV not only a global health emergency but also represents the outbreak of a so-called "infodemic" or the extraordinary, in terms of number, dissemination of false and misleading information that can contribute to developing a collective consciousness that is incorrect towards the situation.

"The spread and reaction to 2019-nCov has been accompanied by a massive infodemic – an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not – which make it difficult for people to locate reliable sources and reliable indications when they need it. Because of the high prompt and truthful request for information on 2019-nCoV, the WHO technical risk communication and social media teams work closely to identify and disprove myths and indiscretions. From the headquarters in Geneva to the six regional offices and the various partners, the Organization is working 24 hours a day to identify predominant indiscretions that can harm public health, such as false prevention measures or treatments. These myths are refuted by fact-based information. WHO is drafting information and advice on 2019-nCoV. , available on social media channels (including Weibo, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest) and its website " reads an official WHO document published in the past few hours.

But what are those giants of the web who are in the role of "sounding board" of the public's voice actively doing to combat the spread of misleading information and instead promote the circulation of useful tips and tricks?

Google, we have already seen in recent days, has deployed SOS Alerts in order to make access to reliable and reliable information more effective in times of emergency. In this way Big G brings together the relevant and authoritative contents present on the web, with the possibility of also seeing updates from local, national or international authorities. These updates could include emergency telephone numbers and websites, maps, translations of sentences profits, donation opportunities and more.

Twitter has seen over 15 million tweets around the Coronavirus topic in the past 4 weeks, but the platform points out that none of them can be traced back to a "coordinated attempt to spread disinformation on a large scale". The microblogging platform bases its action on the disinformation management policies normally in force which provides for the ban of accounts that disseminate misleading and false information. In addition, by looking for the term "Coronavirus" on Twitter, the message "Know the facts" is shown in some countries with a link that leads to the control and prevention centers for diseases. The message shown in some of the countries that have found proven cases of Coronavirus infection. This is an approach that the platform has previously adopted as a method to combat the waves of misinformation around the topic of vaccines.

Facebook, which does not enjoy the best reputation for fighting potentially misleading information, has decided this time to take a proactive approach with the use of its global fact-checker network to track down bogus posts, also promising to fight and remove posts. containing "false statements or conspiracy theories" reported by the health authorities. Facebook health manager Kang-Xing Jin writes in a post in the company's official blog: "We focus on those statements that discourage treatment or taking adequate precautions. This also includes statements about false treatments or false methods. preventives such as drinking bleach to treat coronavirus infection, or claims that create confusion about available healthcare resources. "

Reddit certainly not unrelated to the spread of conspiracy theories or "toxic" communities, but in this case it is also adopting a proactive approach to the situation. In recent days he has placed a banner on the homepage that leads to the r / AskScience_Megathtread section for all questions about the coronavirus. Not only that: Reddit has also decided to quarantine the subreddit r / Whuan_Flu because it bears "misinformation and / or bogus content". This measure excludes the subreddit from search results and recommendations and limits the possibility of sharing by the user. Quarantined forums also require that the visitor expressly consent to access, so as to avoid cases of accidental exposure.

We remind readers that all useful information regarding the Coronavirus emergency can be found directly on the official website of theMinistry of Health at THIS ADDRESSwhere it was also activateda toll-free number, 1500, to which you can callto make any type of request for information.