Misinfodemics during a pandemic

This week we're writing to you from Toronto, Canada where, like just about everywhere else, COVID-19 is top of mind for journalists, fact-checkers, health researchers and the public. We start this issue week's issue with the real world harm that's coming from COVID-19 misinfodemics, and cap it off with something that's not pandemic related: TikTok has plans to open a 'transparency center' in Los Angeles. As always, don't forget to share this newsletter with friends and family!

Here's your weekly roundup!

From celebrity Twitter misinformation to alcohol poisoning in Iran, COVID-19 health misinformation is causing real world harm (Quartz)

Even fact checking experts need to sometimes be reminded to practice social media distancing from an epidemic of misinformation as big as the one surrounding COVID-19. Celebrities are touting homeopathic preventions and testing methods on Twitter. At least 27 people have died from drinking alcohol in Iran, thinking it would prevent them from contracting the virus. Misinfodemics can significantly exacerbate already precarious health circumstances, so pass around these tips to friends and family. Fact checkers can review Meedan's guide to responsible health fact-checking here. 

"The best course of action is to follow the tenets of “information hygiene,” the hand-washing equivalent of the online world: take 20 seconds to find the original source of the information, cross-check it between several legitimate sources (really, this is often a very quick Google search)." - Quartz 

Singapore Pans Facebook for ‘Allergic Reaction’ to Fake News Law (Bloomberg)

Singapore, the country that houses the Asia-Pacific headquarters for some of the largest tech companies in the world, is being criticized by opposition politicians, platforms and rights groups for its Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act—a so-called 'fake news law' that makes it illegal to spread “false statements of fact.”

While some opponents, including platforms, warn that the law may be stifling free speech, a top official in the Singaporean government rejected Facebook's most recent criticism, arguing the country needed to prioritize combatting online misinformation to preserve Singapore's government and institutions.

"Facebook said last month it was “deeply concerned” by the order to block The States Times Review’s page in Singapore, after the blog was accused of conveying falsehoods and then refusing to comply with directions served under POFMA." - Bloomberg 

Google has been unusually proactive in fighting COVID-19 misinformation (The Verge)

The arrival of COVID-19 appears to be bringing out a marked change in platform responses to health misinformation, according to Casey Newton's column in the Verge this week. "You can attribute it to a years-long public pressure campaign from academics, activists, lawmakers, employees, or journalists. Or you could credit heightened sensitivities given that a number of tech workers are already among those who have been afflicted by the disease. Whatever the case, the important thing is that Google and others are getting their hands dirty," she writes. 

" ... it’s notable that the conversation has shifted entirely from “should tech companies intervene?” to “what interventions are most effective?” It’s a shift that we’re all likely to benefit from." - Casey Newton, The Verge  

A fact-checker in quarantine sees misinformation in a new light (Poynter)

When the IFCN's Cristina Tardáguila was told that she'd been exposed to COVID-19 at an annual data journalism conference in New Orleans, she and about 1,000 other journalists were advised to quarantine themselves. A reflection on the realities of health misinformation ensued. 

"I reached out to the most reliable source I had and followed the data. But as I found contradictory or misleading information — the very thing I write about every day — I realized how tempting it might be for others to just visit social media channels or WhatsApp groups to grab “information” from family and friends and accept it as “true content.” - Cristina Tardáguila, Poynter 

The WHO doctor leading the COVID-19 fight says the biggest public challenge is unclear information (CBC)

Canadian Dr. Bruce Alyward has a background in leading response efforts to outbreaks, including the WHO and UN response to Ebola in West Africa. He cites cherry-picking data and misunderstanding risk levels as some of the biggest hurdles to this pandemic. "People are clever. People are concerned about their health. People will do the right things if they have the right information," he told the CBC.

"There's no reason to panic about this disease, but you have to be deeply concerned. This is not seasonal flu. It's an order of magnitude [with] tenfold — at least — higher mortality rate. Yes, it does strike vulnerable populations, but it can strike any age, let's be very, very clear — especially between your 30s and 60s and the older population. If the population understands all those things, it will play ball. And I find the single biggest challenge is the populations aren't always getting clear enough information." - Dr. Bruce Alyward 

TikTok plans Los Angeles "transparency center" to assuage critics (Axios)

TikTok said the centre will be a space for experts to observe the Chinese-owned platform's moderation processes, although the company is expected to be selective about who it lets into the facility. Videos on TikTok currently "feature people pretending to be sick or forcibly quarantined, and racist and xenophobic content profiling Chinese people has also surfaced on the app. The United States has seen an uptick in misinformation and racism toward Asian Americans since the virus began spreading in Wuhan, China," the Los Angeles Times reported.

"Opening the center is just the first phase of the company's effort to be more transparent, TikTok said."Later, we will expand the Center to include insight into our source code, and our efforts around data privacy and security," the company said in a statement." - Axios 

In Case You Missed It 

Anti-abortion centers financed by American groups deceive vulnerable women in Latin America – Agência Pública

Last month an OpenDemocracy investigation revealed a disinformation network targeting women seeking help.

"Reporters who pretended to be pregnant and vulnerable women received incorrect medical information - for example, that abortion significantly increases the risk of cancer and mental illness. Then they were pressured to continue with the pregnancy, regardless of their will."