AN SNP MP has called on social media firms to crack down on those 'weaponising' the coronavirus pandemic to scaremonger and cause public panic.
Stewart McDonald, MP for Glasgow South, has written to firms including Google, Facebook and TwItter urging them to "play their part" in tackling the pandemic by giving guidance on how to report false informaton, as well as encouraging them to up the ante on removing rogue posts.
It comes as the number of cases of Covid-19 continue to rise across the globe, airlines cancel flights and members of the public are increasingly being asked to stay indoors or distance themselves from others.
In a letter sent today, McDonald said that while social media platforms "are critical in ensuring the flow of official public health guidance - which is often changing rapidly — and making sure people are as up to date as possible" they must ensure they are "kept as clean as possible and are not weaponised to spread false information which could endanger lives or cause unnecessary panic and alarm."
He said: "Although this is not a new problem for social media platforms, during an international pandemic it is vital that efforts to combat the spread of disinformation are heightened.
"I am therefore asking that you publish clear guidance for your users to help them better identify misinformation and disinformation."
He has urged the tech firms to make it easier for people to report false information relating to the virus and added: "There is clearly a strong need and desire amongst the public for tougher action to root out those seeking to cause chaos and alarm with the spread of false information and conspiracy theories that are designed to sow confusion, cause panic and potentially endanger lives.
An aggressive, proactive protection of the information space from attacks by bad actors, whilst staying true to the value of free speech, debate and public scrutiny, helps everyone and I hope you will recognise the important part your company has to play in achieving this."
Scientific journal The Lancet published an article earlier this month saying pleas to tech giants, while useful, was "an approach that has not stopped conspiracy theorists, trolls, and liars" from creating false information and spreading it online.
It set out the need for action from both social media firms and governments across the globe to provide more accessible, easy to undertsand material for the public.
It stated: "Scientists and public health leaders, from local city tiers all the way to WHO headquarters in Geneva, need to understand that press conferences and government media releases are necessary, but are not enough in the emotionally charged atmosphere of 24/7 virally distributed social media stories and news about COVID-19, laced with sensationalism, at times massaged by some government agencies, and exploited by trolls and disruptors.
"Getting ahead of COVID-19 requires not only slowing its spread, adequate funding for the health response, supporting research to advance our knowledge of it, integrated actions to mitigate the health, economic, and social impacts of the epidemic, among others, but also control of narratives regarding its scientific and clinical attributes and pandemic containment efforts."
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