Top tech companies issue joint statement on misinformation over COVID-19
Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube issued a joint statement to reassure customers and flag the potential misinformation about COVID-19 on their platforms.
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The statement issued late on Monday said that they were glad their platforms were helping people keep close but that they were also doing their best to fight misinformation.
“We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe,” the statement read.
The statement came after major tech companies mat with the US Chief Technology Officer Michael Michael Kratsios to coordinate various efforts related to COVID-19, including fighting disinformation.
Social media platforms are under pressure to crack down on fake coronavirus cures, false testing methods, and other inaccurate or misleading claims.
The World Health Organization’s director-general said last month that disinformation is as dangerous as COVID-19.
Newsguard, which ranks websites by trustworthiness, said in early March that "health care hoax sites" have received more than 142 times as much social media engagement in the past 90 days as the websites for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization combined.