Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have joined forces with fact checkers, governments and researchers to tackle misinformation with regard to the Covid-19 vaccines.
Just as fast as news of the disease first hit the internet, vaccine information has been trickling in equally fast. Countries are now preparing to tackle the disease by rolling out the vaccine with hopes of finally ending the pandemic.
Fact Checking Charity Full Fact will coordinate the process with support from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport UK, Reuters, Africa Check, Canada’s Privacy Council Office and five other fact checking international organizations.
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The group will receive funding from Facebook for an initial launch slated for January that will set the standards for tackling misinformation. It will also set means and ways of tackling the misinformation.
Full Fact said that it was imperative that there was a good supply of reliable information.
“Bad information ruins lives, and we all have a responsibility to fight it where we see it. The coronavirus pandemic and the wave of false claims that followed demonstrated the need for a collective approach to this problem.” Will Moy, chief executive of Full Fact said.
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He expressed concern saying that a Covid-19 vaccine was only a few months away, but that the spread of misinformation could greatly undermine trust in medicine, ultimately prolonging the pandemic.
Facebook added that it welcomed the initiative “to discuss and develop new strategies” for tackling misinformation.
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