Facebook and Google met WHO talking about handling Covid-19 fake news

The meeting was arranged and organized by WHO at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, USA. Here, WHO shared information with the group about the situation of acute pneumonia caused by Covid-19 and participants presented their own ideas for handling. Each company has a few minutes to give a presentation. They agree not to share the opinions of others publicly because many are rivals.

The man wears a mask at Tiananmen Square on January 23. Photo: Getty Images

According to CNBC sources, the companies participating in the meeting included Facebook, Amazon, Twilio, Dropbox, Google, Verizon, Salesforce, Twitter and YouTube. A number of private companies such as Airbnb, Kinsa, Mapbox are also present. Apple, Lyft, Uber were invited but not coming.

The main topic of the discussion was how to limit the spread of false information about Covid-19. WHO’s Andy Pattinson, who flew to Silicon Valley, says things have changed as major technology firms have begun to process fake news. He offered to help firms verify the authenticity of the information they or users posted instead of relying on third parties.

When people search for information on Covid-19, bad guys take advantage of curiosity and see this as an opportunity to make money. Books sold on Amazon spread fear about viruses, fake news constantly appearing on Facebook and other social networks. Vitamin C was searched on major retailers like Amazon because the fake information said it could cure Covid-19. Pattinson calls this problem the “information pandemic”.

The meeting also discussed how to prepare for disaster and how to spread accurate information to users. Some of the tech companies’ recent priorities are relying on third parties and health organizations to verify information.

Some companies admit they have not done enough except informing employees to keep it safe, but many companies are starting to implement projects. According to Mr. Pattinson, the purpose of the meeting is to sow ideas, encourage cooperation and innovation.

In the end, the companies agreed to develop collaborative tools, better content, and a call center for people to ask or ask for advice. Facebook, Amazon offer to set aside an advertising area or provide volunteers to extinguish fake news about Covid-19. The team decided to meet every few months until the virus was under control.