{"id":3782,"date":"2020-02-28T01:03:53","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T18:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcambodia.com\/?p=3782"},"modified":"2020-02-29T12:31:17","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T05:31:17","slug":"internet-giants-fight-spread-of-coronavirus-untruths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcambodia.com\/internet-giants-fight-spread-of-coronavirus-untruths\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet giants fight spread of Coronavirus untruths"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFP \u2013 <\/strong>As the new Coronavirus spreads globally, the online battle to keep misinformation about the disease is also stepping up.<\/p>\n

Google, Facebook and other platforms are struggling to keep ahead of scammers, trolls, and others with ill intent who routinely use major tragedies or disasters as opportunities to swindle or manipulate people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe public concern about Coronavirus is being used as a vehicle to get people to transmit misinformation and disinformation,\u201d said University of Washington biology Professor Carl Bergstrom.<\/p>\n

Internet companies took part in a meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) last week at Facebook offices in Silicon Valley to discuss tactics such as promoting reliable information and fact-checking dubious claims about the Coronavirus outbreak. \u201c[We must] combat the spread of rumours and misinformation,\u201d\u00a0 WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo that end, we have worked with Google to make sure people searching for information about Coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google search ranks authoritative sources higher when people are seeking information on health and labels results or news stories that have been fact-checked.<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus said that social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and TikTok have also taken steps to limit spread of misinformation about Coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Facebook said in a recent online post that it is focusing on claims that, if relied on, could increase the likelihood of someone getting sick or not getting proper treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis includes claims related to false cures or prevention methods \u2013 such as drinking bleach cures the coronavirus \u2013 or claims that create confusion about health resources that are available,\u201d Facebook head of health Kang-Xing Jin said in the post. \u201cWe will also block or restrict hashtags used to spread misinformation on Instagram and are conducting proactive sweeps to find and remove as much of this content as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bergstrom said some virus misinformation is \u201cpeople trying to sell snake oil products\u201d such as bogus cures or treatments, while others use attention-grabbing deceptions to drive online traffic that yields money from advertising. Misinformation is also spread by \u201cactors\u201d out to fuel distrust for the establishment in China or foment societal instability overall, according to Bergstrom. \u201cThere\u2019s appetite for up-to-date,\u00a0 real-time information,\u201d said Jevin West, co-author of a book on misinformation with Bergstrom. \u201cThese actors can take advantage of that; things with crazier scenarios are more likely to be clicked on than the report from that doctor at WHO trying to calm down the fears.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facebook said that when users seek information related to the virus, the social network will show \u201ceducational pop-up\u201d boxes with information considered credible. Facebook also gives free advertising credits to groups running Coronavirus education campaigns.<\/p>\n

Google-owned video sharing platform YouTube has been modifying policies and products for several years to remove harmful content and give priority to authoritative content deemed trustworthy. \u201cWe currently do not allow content promoting dangerous remedies or cures, like videos which claim that harmful substances or treatments can have health benefits,\u201d YouTube said. YouTube last year began linking to reliable information along with videos on \u201csubjects prone to misinformation\u201d and added the virus to that list. Social media giants have also beefed up ranks of fact-checkers, hiring outside parties such as AFP News Wire, to sort truth from fiction, even if there are questions on their effectiveness. A recent study published in the journal Science Advances suggested fact-checking did little to stem the tide of misinformation about other epidemics such as Zika, Ebola and yellow fever. Bergstrom and West questioned whether social media giants optimised for virality could stem the tide of disinformation and deceit. \u201cA social media company claiming it\u2019s an active participant in the fight against misinformation is like [tobacco maker] Philip Morris saying it\u2019s an active participant in the fight against lung cancer,\u201d Bergstrom said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the new Coronavirus spreads globally, the online battle to keep misinformation about the disease is also stepping up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"(Xinhua\/Xiao Yijiu) ","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":null,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":null,"footnotes":""},"categories":[258],"tags":[769],"yoast_head":"\nInternet giants fight spread of Coronavirus untruths - CapitalCambodia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the new Coronavirus spreads globally, the online battle to keep misinformation about the disease is also stepping up.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/capitalcambodia.com\/internet-giants-fight-spread-of-coronavirus-untruths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Internet giants fight spread of Coronavirus untruths - 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