Don't get infected by fake news

The internet and social media have changed the way we read news and get important information. While this online news is timely and relevant, it may also be fake.

Fake news can be damaging to the public’s health in so many ways — people might panic, or consume the wrong medication. A major motivation that nefarious actors may have for peddling fake news is, of course, making money. Whether directly, by selling medications, or indirectly, by showing advertisements to a large number of people, fake news is a virus that we must protect ourselves — and that means being proactive in fighting back against fake news.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has made it clear to all of us that we are living in an era of mass misinformation. Facebook has stated it intends to take action against a variety of fake news related to the novel coronavirus outbreak. These have come in a variety of forms: some reports either exaggerate or downplay the severity of outbreaks. Some spread unsound medical advice about social distancing being ineffective in preventing the transmission of the virus. Other fake reports herald the arrival of a somehow rapidly-developed vaccine that cures or prevents people from contracting the virus.

The British government is struggling to keep up with the spread of misinforming running wild on the internet, with misinformation being shared more widely than official information from the UK’s health services, the Guardian reported.

Any social media platform that is used by millions of people has a responsibility to do something about the spread of false information. Facebook has been working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to make reliable, authoritative and official information available. The company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has been attempting to connect its users to trustworthy news.

Links to WHO and UNICEF appear in the top results when a user searches for news related to COVID-19, both on Facebook and Instagram. On WhatsApp, users can sign up to receive WHO Health Alerts which debunk myths and give users reliable information on the symptoms of the virus, and how to prevent its spread.

Since the debacle of Russian bots meddling the 2016 presidential election, social media companies have been under to take action against misinformation spreading on their platforms.

Companies like Facebook and YouTube have responded by applying anti-fake-news strategies that seem as if they would be effective. As a public-relations move, this is smart: The companies demonstrate that they are willing to take action, and the policies sound reasonable to the public.

But the outbreak of COVID-19 means it’s not just election results that are endangered, but fake news could actually constitute a real threat to people’s lives.

The pandemic of lies means that the time to collectively fight fake news is now. Doing so can help us to protect the mental and physical well-being of ourselves, families, friends and the entire community by creating an online environment that provides trustworthy news.

While these attempts show that Facebook is taking the spread of fake news seriously, we have to accept that fake news can never be completely eradicated.

Facebook has always considered itself a platform, not a policeman — so it’s our responsibility to inform ourselves about how fake news operates, and be vigilant about spotting it, so that we don’t fall victims to rumors, half-truths, scams, and falsehoods.

By following these tips, you can protect yourself from fake news — not just during the coronavirus, but after, too.

• Consider the source: WHO and regional health authorities are the trusted sources of health news. News that you see posted on posted by a friend without any link to a trustworthy source is potentially fake.
• Accounts that seem similar to the trustworthy sources: Some fake accounts attempt to seem similar to trustworthy ones. For example, @BBCNewsTonight mimics @BBCNews.
• Encouragement to share: Fake news tends to motivate users to share.
• Verify content: Check if the same news is repeated on websites of WHO and regional health authorities.
• You can report fake news and block associated accounts. Most popular social media applications allow you to do this right in the app.

 

Dara Sherwani is the acting head of the Department of Information Science at The American University of Kurdistan.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.