Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Reddit and Twitter team up against disinformation

Several major US social media companies are teaming up to fight fraud and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus. To do this, they will share critical updates from government institutions, among other things.

The tech companies shared the joint statement last night on Twitter. “We are cooperating closely when it comes to our response to Covid-19,” the statement said. “We’re helping millions of people stay connected, while also fighting fraud and disinformation about the virus. We’re better displaying authoritative content on our platforms and sharing critical updates in concert with government health services around the world.”

It is not clear from the Tweet what the statement and cooperation entail in concrete terms. However, other companies are invited to collaborate with the tech companies. The collaborating companies have also taken steps in the past in the fight against the corona virus. For example, Microsoft has put a covid-19 tracker online to track all cases of the disease. Earlier this month, Google, like Apple, banned coronavirus apps and Facebook blocked ads that want to create a panic response around the virus.

Fake news and disinformation about Covid-19 has been spreading for several months. The NOS, among others, made an overview. An example is a tweet where the use of chlorine dioxide is recommended to combat the coronavirus. In reality, this is a dangerous substance, which can cause diarrhea and vomiting in humans. The US Food and Drug Administration previously warned about the danger of this drug.