​The NHS has today unveiled a package of measures in the battle against coronavirus fake news – working with Google, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – to help the public get easy access to accurate NHS information and avoid myths and misinformation.

The measures include search engine Google pointing people first to verified NHS guidance when someone types in ‘coronavirus treatments’ or ‘coronavirus symptoms’.

As well as helping to promote good advice, the NHS has been fighting bad advice and misinformation about the virus in the media and online, working with Twitter to suspend a false account posing as a hospital and putting out inaccurate information about the number of coronavirus cases; and publicly condemning homeopaths promoting false treatments.

The NHS is also working with Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to verify or ‘blue tick’ over 800 accounts belonging to NHS organisations including hospital trusts and local commissioning groups.

And following months of work, the NHS and Google will this week introduce new Knowledge Panels – prominent pop out boxes of information – as part of Google search on mobile, to ensure it provides the public in the UK with easy access to NHS information about more than 250 health conditions, including coronavirus.

In the coming days and weeks, both Twitter and Facebook will also start directing users to the NHS website if they search for coronavirus.

The announcement comes alongside the government’s action to crack down on fake news, including a cross-government team to engage with social media firms to monitor the internet for scams.

Author: