Fake news, conspiracies and those who want to profit off the spread of the coronavirus seem to be everywhere. And with so many of us going online to get information, tech companies are playing a part in shutting down harmful misinformation.
Any time there is a global emergency, scammers seem to quickly rise to the occasion. The spread of the coronavirus is an opportunity ripe for cybercriminals to take advantage of people worried about the health threat. They can use lies, conspiracy theories, price gouging and malicious apps to cause fear in anyone who clicks on their message.
But several technology companies are stepping up, trying to do their part to calm those fears and stop harmful misinformation before it gets too far.
With stores all across the world experiencing shortages of basic supplies like water, toilet paper and hand sanitizer, it’s no surprise consumers are turning to online options. But the shortages have also created a situation where bad actors have tried to price gouge customers for the items in such high demand.
Amazon’s vice president of worldwide customer trust, Dharmesh Mehta, told a House subcommittee earlier this week that the company is taking action. He said Amazon has already removed tens of thousands of products that were attempting to price gouge consumers.
In an effort to protect customers, Mehta also said Amazon has taken more than one million products off its marketplace for making false claims related to the coronavirus.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation and we’re being vigilant,” he said.
Etsy is also taking down coronavirus-related products from its site. A company spokesperson told Buzzfeed News that it has taken down hundreds of items that exploit the situation and thousands that claim to protect against the coronavirus.
But my quick search on the site still produced some products like a T-shirt featuring a hazmat symbol with the words “I survived Corona,” and a natural hand sanitizer with a description that ends with, “Take that, coronavirus!”
Some social media networks are trying to stop the spread of fake content.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his feed that the company is removing hoaxes and any content with conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.
When I searched the social network for the coronavirus, the first result that popped up was from Facebook with a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most up-to-date information. Users who are in a country where the World Health Organization has reported a person-to-person transmission will also see that information in their news feed.
Zuckerberg wrote that Facebook won’t allow people to post anything that puts people in danger. He said the company is removing false claims “that have been flagged by leading global health organizations.” He also wrote it won’t allow exploitative ads such as those that claim a certain product can cure the virus.
Apple and Google are trying to make it tough for misinformation to make its way to you through any apps they offer.
A search for “coronavirus” under apps in the Google Play store yields zero results.
And four developers have told CNBC that Apple rejected their apps that would have shown where confirmed cases of the coronavirus are in the world. The developers said Apple will only accept coronavirus-related apps if they come from a recognized health, educational or government institution.
App maker Zachary Shakked tweeted the rejection he got from Apple after submitting his coronavirus-related app. His post included guideline 5.2.1 of the App Store review guidelines which requires a recognized institution to publish an app with such content.
And over at YouTube, the company is trying to prevent video creators from making money off the coronavirus. When YouTube deems something may be unsettling for users, it labels it a sensitive topic. The company’s advertising guidelines state that these sensitive topics such as armed conflict, global health crises and terrorist acts are not suitable for advertisers.
“We’re updating our guidelines to reflect the coronavirus outbreak as a sensitive event,” said Tom Leung, YouTube’s director of product management, in a recent video. “And as such, all videos focused on this topic will be demonetized until further notice.”
No doubt scary and often misleading information can spread like wildfire online. Here’s hoping these measures so many tech companies are taking are enough to combat the bad information so the facts are all that remain.