Suggest four pratical strategies that you could abide by to prevent yourself from spreading the fake news about covid-19
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Answer:
Everyone is responsible for slowing the spread of the disease. Every action counts. This is also the case in the fight against misinformation, which intrudes on the overabundance of news, mixing facts, rumours and fake news. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described this phenomenon as an infodemic.
Our research on social media propaganda shows that bystander inaction can encourage the proliferation of fake news. Anyone with access to the internet can contribute to the war on misinformation; for example, many are already doing so by creating videos or songs with prevention messages.
As dangerous as the virus
According to the WHO, the COVID-19-related infodemic is just as dangerous as the virus itself. False preventive measures, such as traditional African treatments and fake remedies, like eating garlic, drinking warm water with lemon slices or adulterated alcohol, hinder the fight against the illness.
Similarly, conspiracy theories accusing China of manufacturing the virus, blaming 5G cell towers for spreading the disease or falsely accusing business magnate Bill Gates of causing the epidemic to sell us a vaccine may have consequences that go beyond public health.
A protester holds up a sign against U.S. business mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates at a protest against the Colorado governor’s containment order to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Such rumours, myths and exaggerated facts fuel new forms of xenophobia online and offline. Many people of Chinese or East Asian origin are being insulted, assaulted or denied services. Religious, minority and elite groups are being blamed online for its spread.
Feeding confusion
Internet users who share memes, videos or photos that make fun of the virus, even without any harmful intent, also risk spreading misinformation. There is a danger of fuelling panic and confusion in the population. People no longer know who to trust and become more vulnerable to manipulation and cybercrime.
Another source of confusion is Beijing’s attitude. Western governments, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have questioned the Chinese government about the origins of the virus and the real extent of the pandemic in China. Despite Beijing’s denials of hiding anything, the disappearance of Chinese whistleblowers is fuelling speculation, whether it is true or not.
Countering misinformation
Several measures have been put in place to curb the circulation of fake news.
Asian countries did not hesitate to enforce criminal prosecutions related to the COVID-19 infodemic.
In Québec, fact-checking services such as the Rumour Detector are available to the public. The WHO uses its existing network called EPI-WIN to track down misinformation in several languages. It also asks technology giants to filter out false news and promote information from credible sources.
Google removes misleading information about COVID-19 from YouTube, Google Maps, its development platforms such as Play, and in advertisements. Twitter checks, among other things, accounts that are credible sources of information about COVID-19 and monitors conversations to ensure that the keywords searched for on the virus provide access to reliable information.
The WHO has also launched a health alert on WhatsApp and a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to provide accurate information about the virus.
The United Nations is sparing no effort either in tackling misinformation and cyber-frauders who exploit the crisis. The United Nations Development Program supports the #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance, which brings together more than 100 fact-checkers from over 45 countries in the International Fact-Checking Network.