The United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), which promotes global awareness and understanding of the work of the United Nations, has stepped up its fight against “a proliferation of false information” about the COVID-19 virus.
The advice from cyber security expert Neil Walsh is to obtain information from trusted sources, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). “Furthermore, the United Nations family of agencies, funds, and programmes is a trusted source of authoritative Coronavirus-related information on many fronts.”
Search and media companies like Facebook, Google, Pinterest and Twitter have worked with WHO to take down unfounded medical advice and rumours, hoaxes and other false information.
The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming said in her Facebook post: “My global communications team at the United Nations will be stepping up our communications efforts to make sure people have the best, most credible information and also inspiration from examples of global cooperation and viral acts of humanity.”