“How health officials and social media are teaming up to fight the coronavirus 'infodemic'”, 11 March 2020

As health officials in a growing number of countries fight to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, they're also working to stem a secondary issue that the World Health Organization is calling an "infodemic."

The WHO defines an infodemic as "an overabundance of information — some accurate and some not — that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it." The problem is aided by the ease and speed with which false or misleading information can spread on social media…

In an effort to help people sort through the sometimes overwhelming amount of information online, Kuzmanovic said the organization is working directly with social media companies to ensure users are directed to trusted sources. Now, when social media users on a number of platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, search for "coronavirus," they are directed first to information from either the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control or their national health ministry…

Some social media platforms have independently taken further steps to curb misinformation and panic surrounding coronavirus.

Facebook (FB) said.. it would remove content with bogus cures or other false claims about coronavirus or posts that could create confusion about where accurate information can be found.

The company will "remove content with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations and local health authorities that could cause harm to people who believe them," Kang-Xing Jin, Facebook's head of health, said in a blog post…

… a Facebook spokesperson told CNN Business that the platform is working with its fact-checking partners to debunk false claims about the virus. Once Facebook posts and links are fact-checked and found to be false, the spokesperson said, the platform "dramatically" cuts their distribution. People who see this content, try to share it, or already have, are alerted that it's false.

The company also says it will prohibit ads related to coronavirus that are misleadeing or aimed at profiting off of the panic surrounding the outbreak…

Facebook declined to comment for this story.