UN chief warns against misinformation on COVID-19

Geneva: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against misinformation in the fight against COVID-19.

“Along with the pandemic, we are seeing a dangerous outbreak of misinformation, from harmful health advice and hate speech to wild conspiracy theories,” he told a high-level dialogue on press freedom and tackling disinformation in the COVID-19 context. Blatant lies spread online at a terrifying rate.

A recent analysis found that more than 40 per cent of posts about COVID-19 on one major social media platform were posted by bots -- automated programs disguised as people, he said.

The antidote to this pandemic of misinformation is fact-based news and analysis, said Mr Guterres. The use of social media has risen dramatically since the crisis began, as it provides unparalleled ways for people to connect and to access information.