How Google and Facebook are Responding to COVID-19 Hoaxes

As the COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic, false information has become more and more prevalent online. Social media users tend to believe the misinformation that they read without having enough source to support their claim. Many fake sites post on social media what should be done in order to stop the said virus, while others post to ask for funds to “help patients in need”, when in reality the money will just go into their personal pockets.

The good news is a lot of social media websites have been working closely in coordination with government agencies regarding the COVID-19, in order to resolve the continuous spread of fake news.

Recently, Facebook started inserting a box into news feed which directs users to the Centers for Disease control pages regarding the coronavirus. This essentially helps users determine the right page to go to, as a lot of scammers have been using this opportunity and time of crisis to take peoples’ donations by pretending to be health organizations. Through the help of Centers for Disease control page, users will be able to filter the latest information about the COVID-19 by only reading factual information.

Image from: mobihealthnews

On the other hand, Google is trying to manage all the information related to COVID-19, by limiting the approval of articles or actions related to the virus. This limitation is Google’s solution to preventing misinformation from going viral on its platform. Google Assistant has approved new actions that will reject a whole host of violations. This is the strategy of Google to battle against fake news and lies on the Internet.

Image from: voicebot.ai

In summary, all social media users should always be smart in choosing what to believe in and in choosing what they share online. There’s a lot of information going around in the Internet world! Make sure to always get your facts straight and only listen to reliable sources avoid misinformation. One share goes a long way!

Despite the pandemic and community quarantine, iManila’s lines remain open on how we can help you keep your business going despite this global lockdown. Drop us an email at info@imanila.ph. Stay safe!