To date, more than 4.5 million people around the world have been infected with the deadly COVID-19 virus, a type of coronavirus related to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States (US), the virus is said to spread mainly from person to person, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

The Red Cross on Tuesday launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation about the new coronavirus and spread lifesaving content about the pandemic.Experts have been warning for months that the pandemic has been cloaked in a massive "infodemic" - a deluge of information, including widespread false claims, which can pose a serious threat to public health.The World Health Organization (WHO) website lists a catalogue of dangerous

Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Facebook of "caving" to Vietnam's strict censorship regime, after the United States (US) tech giant confirmed it was blocking content deemed illegal by the country's communist government.Authorities regularly sentence domestic critics to harsh prison terms but have come under fire recently for targeting dissent on the world's most popular social network. Facebook is a popular platform for activists in Vietnam, where

As of 17 March 2020, over 180,000 people around the world have been infected with the deadly COVID-19, a type of coronavirus related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Some countries such as Italy, Spain, the Philippines and Malaysia have imposed lockdowns or movement control over virus fears.

Twitter unveiled a plan Tuesday to curb the spread of manipulated content including "deepfake" videos as part of a move to fight misinformation which could result in violence or other harm.The policy was announced after Twitter asked for comments last year on ways to reduce "synthetic and manipulated media" on the online platform that could deceive people during election campaigns or provoke violence or physical harm.Twitter, which along with other social platforms has bee

Facebook published a correction on a user's post Saturday following a demand from Singapore, the first time a tech giant has complied with the city-state's law against misinformation.Authorities had ordered the social media giant to correct a post promoting an article on a fringe news site containing "scurrilous accusations" of election rigging, ramping up their use of a controversial law against misinformation.The law gives ministers powers to tell platforms to put warnin