Facebook and Google ‘fight coronavirus fraud and fake news’ as conspiracies go viral by teaming up with tech giants
AMERICA'S biggest technology giants have teamed up to fight coronavirus hoaxes, scams and fake news online.
Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube have all partnered up to tackle the crisis.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news and updates
It comes as The Sun reveals how coronavirus scams and COVID-19 conspiracy theories have been spreading like wildfire.
Hackers and scammers are preying on the confusion and interest in coronavirus online.
Now pressure is ramping up for tech firms to do more.
In a joint statement, they wrote: "We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts.
"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.
"We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe."
There's still a lack of detail on exactly what this means.
But it's likely that it involves knowledge sharing around prevalent scams or hoaxes.
They might also adopt similar or even identical policies when it comes to moderating coronavirus content.
Social media companies will be preparing for months of chaos as scientists warn that the pandemic is only just beginning.
Earlier this week, Twitter created a brand new handwashing emoji to help fight germs during the coronavirus pandemic.
The emoji is backed by the World Health Organisation – and shows how social media is becoming a tool to tackle the outbreak.
Any Twitter user can trigger the emoji by using any one of four hashtags.
They are: #handwashing, #SafeHands, #HandWashChallenge and #WashYourHands.
The #SafeHands campaign is backed by the WHO, which has been working overtime to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebrevesus, the WHO director general, praised the emoji while sharing a video of himself washing his hands.
In a tweet, Dr Tedros wrote: "Thank you Twitter for such a nice addition to our #SafeHands challenge!
"We @WHO love it and hope the challenge will generate videos as creative as the new #HandWashing emoji!"
Covid-19 originated in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has since travelled rapidly across the globe.
People can spread the virus to each other through close contact or bodily fluids.
An infection causes flu-like symptoms and is thought to kill about two per cent of cases – largely the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions.
The virus has killed more than 7,100 worldwide, according to an estimate from Johns Hopkins University.
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Do you think social media firms are doing enough to tackle coronavirus scams and fake news? Let us know in the comments!
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