Big Tech asked to help right wrongs of Covid information

Big Tech companies are under increasing pressure to do more to combat the rampant online sharing of misinformation about the coronavirus.

“Rampant misinformation on social media is hampering Australia’s COVID-19 efforts and may deter widespread take up of the future vaccine,” Mr Cooper said. Picture: AFP

Big Tech companies are under increasing pressure to do more to combat the rampant online sharing of misinformation about the coronavirus, which authorities believe is the main reason for the growing distrust of potential COVID-19 vaccines.

Misinformation, spread via social media platforms like Facebook, is hampering the efforts of Australian medical authorities, according to an open letter that will be sent to parliamentarians on Monday.

A newly formed coalition, including the Doherty Institute, the Immunisation Foundation of Australia and Reset Australia, is behind the campaign to help fight the spread of online conspiracy theories, and is encouraging tech platforms to direct their users to a constantly updated ‘Live List’ of legitimate COVID-19 material.

The fake news and conspiracy theories that is being spread largely by the tech platforms are leading to a growing distrust of a potential COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines in general, the coalition says, as well as an increasing number of Australians choosing to ignore public health edicts about social distancing and lockdown measures because they believe the pandemic to be a government-led hoax.

There are also growing fears in the community about 5G being linked to COVID-19, despite that conspiracy theory being repeatedly debunked.

A recent report from US-based non-profit organisation AVAAZ found that over the past year, content from a global health misinformation network spanning five countries has been viewed an estimated 3.8 billion times on Facebook.

“While we know these concerning developments are linked to misinformation circulated on social media, we collectively understand very little about this misinformation and what kind of demographics are consuming it,” the open letter to the Morrison government reads.

“The only people who currently enjoy a bird’s-eye view on the spread of COVID-19 misinformation are the Big Tech giants themselves. We are therefore urging the Australian parliament to pass new laws that will force Big Tech platforms to share their vital perspective on COVID-19 misinformation with us all.”

Reset Australia, formerly known as Responsible Technology Australia, is leading the push and its executive director Chris Cooper said social media media has supercharged conspiracy theories and misinformation, pushing some people into echo chambers where false information is all they see.

He said a mandate would provide access to de-identified data on COVID-19 related URLs circulating on the platforms. The mandate would compel digital platforms to share certain demographic and impact data, which would serve as a resource to allow for timely identification and community engagement strategies to respond to misinformation.

“Rampant misinformation on social media is hampering Australia’s COVID-19 efforts and may deter widespread take up of the future vaccine,” Mr Cooper said.

“We don’t have oversight on how these algorithms operate, only that they amplify the most sensationalist content to keep us online and keep the platforms making mega bucks from our engagement.

“Australian authorities and the Australian public should be able to answer questions like: What kind of content is being amplified by these platforms? Who made it? What kind of demographics are consuming it? To do that we need a live list of the most contentious issues our society is facing, so we can begin to tackle misinformation collectively and transparently.”

Catherine Hughes, from the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, has been harassed by anti-vaxxers online. Her son Riley died from whooping cough when he was 32 days old, and Ms Hughes has since successfully lobbied for pregnant women to have the whooping cough vaccine in their third trimester.

“Parents only want what is best for their children – but this also makes them vulnerable to being manipulated. If you‘re being bombarded online with fearful, false information about vaccines then you’re going to have questions. How do we get reliable, factual information to these parents, when social media has funnelled them into echo chambers? How can public health bodies see the full extent of the problem if it is hidden from view?,” Ms Hughes said.

“Vaccine misinformation costs lives. I‘ve spoken with heartbroken parents who have chosen not to vaccinate their children as they were scared by online misinformation, only to have their children pass away or suffer serious consequences from a vaccine-preventable disease. This misinformation flourishes on social media, where fear translates quickly into clicks and shares.

“In the light of this pandemic, it‘s vital that COVID-19 misinformation is able to be tracked, and not hidden, so that experts have a chance at countering some of the most dangerous myths being perpetuated.”

Google was contacted for comment.

Facebook Australia’s head of communications Antonia Sanda said in a statement, “Over the past year Facebook has been committed to supporting the global public health community’s work to keep people safe and informed during the coronavirus public health crisis. This work includes providing a free, publicly available CrowdTangle Live dashboard of trending COVID-19 content across our apps, including in Australia.

“We are also working with public health authorities through our Data for Good program which includes tools and initiatives that can help organizations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facebook has supported health bodies and governments to disseminate authoritative information to the public, directing more than 2 billion people to this information through our COVID Information Centre.”