Trump administration officials, including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios who led the call, discussed the response, including combating online misinformation about the COVID-19 coronavirus and other measures during a teleconference Wednesday with tech companies including Apple, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, Twitter and other companies and tech trade groups.
The discussion focused on information-sharing with the federal government, coordination regarding telehealth and online education and the creation of new tools to help researchers review scholarship, according to a statement from the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. “Cutting edge technology companies and major online platforms will play a critical role in this all-hands-on-deck effort,” Kratsios said in a statement. He said his office would unveil a database of research on the virus in coming days.
Officials from the Labor Department, Health and Human Services Department, Education Department, National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies also joined the call.
Researchers and journalists have documented many cases of misinformation about the virus spreading online. Social media companies have been trying to tackle it, with a particular focus on false health information.
Three of the most influential internet platforms — Google, Facebook and Twitter — are all sending users who search for information on the virus to health authorities such as the CDC and WHO, and donating ad inventory to health organizations and key NGOs [nongovernmental organizations].
MacDailyNews Note: More info on the Prevention & Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via the U.S. CDC is here. Track the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) here.