coronavirus

Measures to stop misinformation spreading on messaging service WhatsApp appear to be making a difference. The Facebook-owned business says its seen fewer "highly forwarded messages". A couple of weeks back , WhatsApp took action after fears it was ... being used to spread bogus and potentially dangerous claims about COVID-19. One big worry was that people who saw a message in one group chat would forward it to multiple other group chats, quickly increasing the number of people who saw it. Extra Niggle May Spark Rethink The changes involved any message that had been forwarded at least five times. ... (view more)

Leading tech companies have agreed a joint program to week out false information about the COVID-19 pandemic. It could have a knock-on effect on the rest of their services. The program is announced in a joint statement from Facebook, Google, ... LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube. It says they will take steps "to make sure everyone has access to accurate information, stop misinformation and harmful content, and support global health experts, local governments, businesses and communities." (Source: fb.com ) It's part of a four part program of measures from Facebook. The ... (view more)

Apple says it's banning any COVID-19 related apps unless it's certain they come from authoritative sources. It's also banning any game or entertainment apps related to the coronavirus pandemic. The move is particularly significant as it's almost ... impossible to install an app on an iPhone or iPad unless it's been approved by Apple. In contrast, Android users can install unapproved apps from sources other than the official Google Play store, albeit only after confirming they are willing to take the security risk. Apple says that when it comes to COVID-19 content it is "evaluating apps critically ... (view more)