As coronavirus cases spike, social media battles the epidemic of fakes

Google, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook team up with global health agencies and governments to put up the guardrails on the fake trail

In the midst of the countrywide panic and pandemonium over coronavirus, social media platforms have been grappling with a problem of their own. A sharp spike in fake news—posts on how the prime minister’s call to applaud those at the frontlines of the fight back was timed so as to purify the air and improve blood circulation were shared widely. Ditto for all news about how Indians are leading the fight against the virus with ayurvedic and homeopathic cures and for conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus.
 

The industry of fakes is bustling even as everything else is