With the world currently on alert after the spread of the contagious and in some cases lethal Coronavirus, how are social media platforms handling reports and claims from users, many of whom troll social media on a daily basis with fake news and fake cures for the virus, which can spread unnecessary panic and misinformation.
An interesting article published by the BBC, outlines that social media giants, Facebook and Twitter have taken a more serious stance against fake news after the 2016 American Presidential Election. It has also been reported that fake news on these social channels has caused mob violence in several countries and spread fear about the safety of inoculations.
Facebook have announced that they will remove any posts, videos or photos that offer any misinformation about the Coronavirus, and will carry this out across Instagram with any Hashtag offering false information.
Twitter claim there have been 15 million tweets about Coronavirus in the past few weeks and have launched a prompt that encourages users to obtain information about the virus from official channels such as the CDC and WHO.
TikTok have provided a link to the WHO website for anyone using the Coronavirus keyword and have urged users to report any information deemed harmful.
Update 27/02/2020
As the threat of Coronavirus hits European soil, links and posts are now appearing across major social media platforms as to what you should do if you are displaying symptoms of Coronavirus, or Covid-19, as it has now been named.
YouTube are also now displaying prominent banners from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on searches and videos relating to Coronavirus.
Facebook have also introduced a link to the Covid-19 section on the NHS website when Coronavirus is searched and is also pushing this out across users timelines.
There are still many groups and users spreading mis-information about the virus and conspiracy theories that it was engineered in laboratories and released by governing bodies.
Social media users and the public have been encouraged to take advice from official healthcare and government sources in order to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51337357
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/30/facebook-coronavirus-fakes/
