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While health authorities are working to stop the spread of coronavirus, social media giants are facing a contagion of their own: conspiracy theories.
And in a bid to crack down on what the World Health Organisation has labelled an "infodemic" of misinformation, you may find yourself facing restrictions in the digital world as well.
WhatsApp, which has more than 2 billion users worldwide, has announced it is tightening message forwarding limits, restricting users to sharing forwarded content one chat at a time.
The decision follows a jump in messages touting bogus medical advice since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
"Is all forwarding bad? Certainly not. We know many users forward helpful information, as well as funny videos, memes, and reflections or prayers they find meaningful," the company said in a statement.
"However, we've seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation.
"We believe it's important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation."
Disputing existence of COVID-19 banned by YouTube
WhatsApp isn't alone in its bid to limit the spread of misinformation.
YouTube has now banned all conspiracy theory videos falsely linking coronavirus symptoms to 5G networks, according to the BBC.
The conspiracy, which claims there's a direct link between 5G equipment and the COVID-19 outbreak, has sparked arson attacks on mobile phone masts in the United Kingdom.
In a live-streamed interview on YouTube on Monday, conspiracy theorist David Icke — who was last year banned from entering Australia — falsely claimed there is a "link between 5G and this health crisis".
Following criticisms for allowing the video, which was watched by about 65,000 people, to be broadcast on its platform, the company told the BBC it would be removed, alongside any content disputing the "existence or transmission" of COVID-19.
"We have clear policies that prohibit videos promoting medically unsubstantiated methods to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment," a spokeswoman told the news outlet.
"Now any content that disputes the existence or transmission of COVID-19, as described by the WHO and local health authorities is in violation of YouTube policies.
"This includes conspiracy theories which claim that the symptoms are caused by 5G."
YouTube has been contacted for further response.
Facebook and Twitter have also responded to the deluge of inaccurate medical information posted in recent months by barring users from posting misleading information about coronavirus, including denials of expert guidance and encouragement of fake treatments.
ABC/AP
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Topics: health, epidemics-and-pandemics, diseases-and-disorders, internet-culture, social-media, internet-technology, covid-19, australia
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