AN SNP MP has joined forces with a new coronavirus fact-checking service in a bid to crack down on the spread of misinformation.
Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald announced today that he is involved with the new Infotagion website.
It follows his appeal to the bosses of Twitter, Facebook and Google, asking them to "act responsibly" over Covid-19 information being issued on platforms.
McDonald said: "Delighted to be involved with
@infotagion, a newly launched site to fight disinformation about Covid-19.
"The site is the brainchild of
@DamianCollins, it involves MPs from across parliament and independent experts. Give us a follow, help out and check http://infotagion.com."
The website states that it uses official information issued by "WHO, UK and other official government advice" to check against information issued on social media.
McDonald went on to invite Twitter users to submit any coronavirus stories or social media posts that don't "look right" to the website, in order to further investigate the claims involved.
Once investigated, the website informs users on whether or not the information should continue to be shared out based on its accuracy.
📣Delighted to be involved with @infotagion, a newly launched site to fight disinformation about Covid-19. The site is the brainchild of @DamianCollins, it involves MPs from across parliament and independent experts. Give us a follow, help out and check https://t.co/thoP497Pag pic.twitter.com/s8aqa69Wgy
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) March 30, 2020
McDonald previously revealed that he had written a letter to social media bosses to ensure platforms are "kept as clean as possible and not weaponised to spread false information".
The letter asked for platforms to "publish clear guidance for your users to help them better identify misinformation and disinformation. Platforms should also enable easier reporting mechanisms to allow users to bring cases of misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19 to your attention so that suitable action can be taken".
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