WHO urges tech firms to tackle Coronavirus ‘infodemic’

Mr Andrew Pattison (Digital business solutions manager, the World Health Organization (WHO)) met with tech companies in Silicon Valley, including Facebook, Google, Apple, Airbnb, Lyft, Uber, and Salesforce, stressing that inaccurate information spreads faster than Coronavirus. The WHO has named the spread of false information on the Coronavirus outbreak an ‘infodemic’. Social media platform firms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok are already removing false content and directing users who search for Coronavirus on their websites to the WHO or other reputable health organisations. Mr Pattison told that it can serve as an opportunity for tech companies to reconsider their strategies on fake news and misinformation.