Governments and official representatives of the medical authorities are constantly striving to provide the public with accurate information on the prevalence and measures to be taken for coronavirus. But these efforts are occasionally undermined by the spread of false information that is distributed on one of the most popular platforms in the world.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, has an ongoing content of false information that is spread from one user to another. False information usually comes as a voice or text message that is transmitted from person to person. It is generally said that the information is accurate and was obtained from someone working in government or senior bodies. It is usually assumed that the source is a relative and is claimed to be secure.
Because messages on WhatsApp are encrypted, so they are only allowed to be viewed by the sender and recipient, public health officials as well as police authorities find it difficult to track the spread. WhatsApp itself does not monitor the flow of messages on the platform.
Most of the false information comes from what is known as organic content, ie generated by the users themselves.
On Facebook, deleting and blocking unsafe information is easily manageable, as third-party controllers manage to take action, while on WhatsApp it's impossible.
Cristina Tardáguila from the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) suggested that WhatsApp include a message "are you sure this is true?" before users send something about the coronavirus. But WhatsApp spokesmen said it's something the platform can't do because the content is encrypted.
Experts say the best way to combat false information is public education, which teaches people where to go for safe sources.
-Adapted from CNN
