As the global conversation continues around the spread of the novel #coronavirus, Twitter has shared the work they have been doing to spread the right information, promote constructive engagement, and highlight credible data on the contagion. Over 15 million tweets on this topic have been made in the past four weeks and that trend is not expected to abate.
Twitter has however reported that they are not seeing significant coordinated attempts to spread disinformation at scale.
“However, we will remain vigilant and have invested significantly in our proactive abilities to ensure trends, search, and other common areas of the service are protected from malicious behaviors. As ever, those who engage in these practices will be removed from our service. We do not permit platform manipulation and we encourage people to think before sharing or engaging in deliberate attempts to undermine the public conversation,” a Twitter press statement said.
Given the rapidly evolving nature of the issue and the growing international response, the social media platform said they have launched a new dedicated search prompt to ensure people who come to the service for information about the #coronavirus, that they will get credible, authoritative information first.
It has taken steps, for example, like halting any auto-suggest results that are likely to direct individuals to non-credible content on Twitter. This is an expansion of the #KnowTheFacts prompt, which is specifically in place for the public to find clear and credible information on immunization and vaccination health. They offer assurance that when people search for information about coronavirus on Twitter in both English and Tagalog, the notification will appear in Tagalog.
Official #coronavirus partnerships are now in place in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.S., and Vietnam. This will continue to expand as the need arises, Twitter said.
In the Philippines, Twitter has partnered with the Department of Health (DOH), and the World Health Organization regional offices covering the Philippines, and Western Pacific Region. The notification points people to the DOH’s dedicated website on the coronavirus.
According to Twitter, their Global Public Policy team is proactively seeking ways to integrate the product with organizations involved in the effort to contain the threat.
Experts, NGOs, and governments play a pivotal public service role, using Twitter to reach people with the right information when they need it. They have stressed their commitment to playing their part to amplify authoritative, official content across the globe.
