Expert Speak

Field day for purveyors of fake news during crisis

The scale of misinformation around Covid-19 unprecedented

Governments across have launched dedicated websites, chatbots to provide authentic information to citizens.

23.04.2020

In addition to being a global pandemic of epic proportions, the Covid-19 outbreak is probably the first-ever ‘information epidemic’ or ‘infodemic’ of the technology era. The extent and scale of the misinformation (fake news) around the outbreak is unprecedented. It is equally concerning that this is not confined to a country or two but is spread across the world.

It is not without reason that governments world over are equally wary of misinformation as they are of the virus itself. As far as India is concerned, the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of many States have asked people not to believe rumours as the real-world impact of the misinformation could be counterproductive to the efforts of the government.

Take for instance the two pieces of misinformation that went viral on the eve of the ‘Janata Curfew’. One claimed that the virus lives for only 12 hours outside the human body and that one day of curfew would break the cycle. The other claim in the form of a video by an individual spoke about the power of positive vibrations and that collective clapping would make the virus impotent. Both these fake news were amplified by celebrities, film stars and millions of others. The result of that amplification was that people in some places came out at 5 pm and took out rallies ignoring all social distancing norms, as if to show that louder the sound, the sooner the virus would become impotent. Though the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Government of India debunked both these claims, the damage was already done.

Multiple themes

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in China, misinformation was created around five broad themes. First of these was around causes and symptoms like what caused the virus, its origin, what may or may not be the symptoms of Covid-19. Many of these claims came with names attached to them so as to sound credible. One claim said how a runny nose was not a symptom, while the other advised a breath test to evaluate Covid-19 infection. Such misinformation adds to the anxiety of people or makes them non-serious about the symptoms.

The second theme, dominant in India, was about cures. All these claims suggest miracle cures that can prevent or cure the novel coronavirus. From hot garlic to lemon to turmeric, many home remedies, which are otherwise good for health, were claimed as the cure for the virus. Alcohol, toddy and beef were also suggested as cures for the virus. Some of these claims cited non-existent studies from credible institutions. Such miracle cures could have serious repercussions if people stop seeking medical advice and use these even in the case of symptoms.

Shocking images

The third theme was around the spread of the virus. The claims would share unrelated and shocking images or videos and link them to China or Italy or those countries bearing the brunt of the virus. One image that really went viral was from an art installation in Germany where human bodies are seen as lying on the ground. The image was claimed as both from China and Italy. All these were meant to shock people and make them believe that the situation was much worse than what it actually was.

The fourth theme was misinformation about and around authorities or governments. From claims of lockdowns to images of crying Prime Ministers to statements they did not make; these tend to scare people. In some States, fake government orders were circulated about liquor shops being opened during lockdown. These led to people queuing up in front of these shops.

The other theme was misinformation on wild conspiracy theories around the origin of the virus or the knowledge about the virus or how it was being spread from a Netflix series aired in 2013 to a Dettol bottle with the name ‘Coronavirus’; all claims that suggested that people had prior knowledge of the virus. All these were meant to strengthen the theory that the virus was a man-made conspiracy. Along with these, in recent times, there was a surge in fake news with religious overtones on both sides of the spectrum.

Proactive info sharing

While countries like Hungary are exploring special legislations to make the sharing of misinformation around Covid-19 a criminal offence, some States in India have been booking those who share false information under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. While such actions may act as deterrents, the only long term and sustainable solution is proactive information sharing from all stakeholders, most importantly the government. Making authoritative and credible information available to everyone in their language has to be the agenda.

Governments have to share accurate, reliable and timely information proactively so that people do not fall prey to rumours. Any delay in information sharing or debunking a viral hoax will be counterproductive. Governments across have launched dedicated websites, chatbots to provide authentic information to citizens.

The State Government is the first State government to have launched a dedicated fact-check initiative in collaboration with us, Factly. Recently, the PIB also initiated a Fact Check program to fact-check claims about government schemes or programmes. While this is a welcome initiative, especially during a crisis, they should be more proactive.

Information hubs

Technology companies have also launched information hubs on their respective platforms to provide authoritative content to readers. Fact-checkers around the world have also debunked thousands of false claims around Covid-19, playing an important role in arresting misinformation. Under the aegis of the Internal Fact Checking Network (IFCN), an informal alliance of more than 100 fact-check organisations from 45 countries has taken shape, which is putting out thousands of fact checks in more than 15 languages with the hashtag #CoronaVirusFacts. Multiple fact-checking organisations from India are part of this alliance.

At an individual level, every citizen has the responsibility not to share false information at a time like this. Each one of us can become the foot soldiers in arresting misinformation in our own networks. Our response in times of a major global crisis like this has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in our collective fight against misinformation.

— Rakesh Dubbuduis the founder of Factly, a well-known fact checking initiative.