WHO, leading tech giants discuss ways to stop fake news about COVID-19 - Reports

The World Health Organization (WHO) has hosted a meeting with the representatives of leading tech companies Facebook, Amazon and Google to discuss possible ways to combat misinformation about the novel coronavirus, media reported.

According to the US CNBC broadcaster, the meeting took place at Facebook's headquarter in California's Menlo Park.

"The purpose of that [meeting] was to plant seeds of ideas, and it worked well. I encouraged collaboration and innovation. During a crisis, it’s a good time for that," WHO representative Andy Pattison said, as quoted by the media outlet.

The official added that the tone, in regards to the virus, was changing as technology giants became more aware of the misinformation and stepped up the fight against fake news.

Pattison also suggested at the meeting to help companies verify the facts that they or their users publish, rather than relying on third parties.

The new strain of coronavirus – COVID-19 – was first detected in Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. In mainland China, the virus has already resulted in 1,523 fatalities, with 66,492 people having been infected. Over 1,700 doctors have been infected with COVID-19, six of them have died.

In late January, the WHO declared a global health emergency in light of the outbreak.