Facebook, Google, Tiktok , Twitter help DOH fight pandemic fake news
THE Department of Health (DOH) launched on Wednesday its #Checkthefaqs campaign in a bid to encourage the public to factcheck information, especially the importance of accurate information amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The campaign was launched together with tech companies Facebook, Google, Tiktok, and Twitter who all pledged their support to the initiative in line with their respective missions to help fight Covid-19 and vaccine misinformation online.
Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau and the Health Promotion Bureau, said that as Covid-19 vaccination becomes top priority across the globe, there is also a need to fight “disinformation and misinformation” surrounding Covid-19 vaccines and the pandemic.
“Spreading the right information can save lives. We, at the Department of Health, thank Facebook, Google, Tiktok and Twitter for rallying together in our endeavor to spread the right information. Whenever you see or hear new information, we encourage everyone to #Checkthefaqs. With the campaign and by promoting this single message on social-media platforms, we hope to urge every Filipino to always verify any information regarding the vaccines they may come across,” Ho said
The DOH noted that as many Filipinos spend a considerable amount of time online and that the Internet and social media have become major sources of news and information.
In line with this, the DOH launched the “Check the FAQS” page on its website for Filipinos to have a source of trustworthy information about Covid-19 and its vaccines. Playing an important role in championing media literacy on vaccines, Facebook, Google, Tiktok, and Twitter have committed to support the campaign, which includes helping build awareness for the initiative.
“As access to Covid-19 vaccines expands, we will continue working closely with global and national health authorities, including the Philippine Department of Health, to make it easy for people to find authoritative Covid-19 and vaccine information across Facebook’s apps,” said Clare Amador, Head of Public Policy, Facebook Philippines.