Some of the nation's biggest tech companies, including Facebook (FB +0.29%), Alphabet's (GOOG +0.14%) (GOOGL +0.17%) Google, Twitter (TWTR +0.00%) and Microsoft (MSFT 0.50%), are joining forces to ensure accurate information pertaining to the COVID-19 outbreak appears on their platforms.
In a joint statement issued on Twitter, the companies said they are working together to keep people connected while jointly fighting fraud and misinformation. The tech titans also said they are elevating authoritative content and sharing critical updates in coordination with health agencies and governments across the globe. Reddit, Microsoft's Linkedin, and Alphabet's YouTube are also part of the effort.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
The need for accurate information is imperative given the rise in the number of those infected across the globe. As of Tuesday morning, the Centers for Disease Control reported there are 3,487 cases in the U.S. and 68 deaths. Worldwide there are 187,404 infected people leading to 7,478 deaths.
The move by the nation's largest technology companies comes as misinformation and fraudulent ads have been swirling on their platforms. The tech companies have been taking steps to slow the flow of misinformation. Last week Facebook announced it was giving the World Health Organization free ad space during the outbreak and that it's working with the agency to disseminate coronavirus information that is accurate and timely. Apple (AAPL +0.33%) is only approving coronavirus related apps in its App Store if they come from a government or authoritative medical source and Amazon (AMZN +2.02%) banned the sale of face masks on its platform. The White House met with tech executives to come up with a coordinated response. Part of that is curbing all the fake information spreading in the social sphere.
