How a tech NGO got sucked into a COVID-19 conspiracy theory

15 April 2020

"Staff at a US-based non-profit have received death threats linked to erroneous claims about its work on digital ID in a case propelled by the tide of misinformation over coronavirus and false accusations against Bill Gates.

Dakota Gruener, CEO of New York-based non-profit ID2020, told The New Humanitarian the threats were linked to “patently false” online conspiracy theories about COVID-19, and described the episode as “pretty frightening”.

The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that false and fringe ideas can undermine international efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and sow panic, confusion, and division.

Research by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that the largest category of COVID-19 misinformation involves “public authorities, including government and international bodies”. Social media platforms have made commitments to remove the worst misinformation and provide free placement to the WHO and other official sources. A recent addition to WHO’s series of “mythbusters”, for example, debunks false claims about 5G."

moar:

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/04/15/id2020-coronavirus-vaccine-misinformation

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A YouTube Video Accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci Of Being Part

Of The Deep State Has Been Viewed Over 6 Million Times

In A Week

The video also advises people to treat COVID-19 with vitamin C.

Ryan Broderick

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on April 15, 2020, at 7:08 p.m. ET

"A YouTube video full of what experts have called misinformation about the coronavirus went viral this week, accumulating over 6 million views and close to half a million Facebook shares since it was published last Saturday.

The video features an interview with Shiva Ayyadurai, a candidate for the GOP nomination for Senate in Massachusetts, who questionably claimed to have invented email and who briefly dated actor Fran Drescher. It was conducted by news anchor Christina Aguayo, who hosts America’s Daily Report on America’s Voice, a right-wing cable TV network.

“Dr. SHIVA Ayyadurai, MIT PhD Crushes Dr. Fauci Exposes Birx, Clintons, Bill Gates, And The W.H.O” is full of misinformation about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed 132,000 around the world and sickened 2 million.

YouTube’s “coronavirus" search results remain relatively free of misinformation — a search typically returns a CDC warning, a liveblog about the outbreak from a trusted news source, and hundreds of videos from verified channels. But the platform has had a tougher time — particularly in India — combatting videos that go viral outside of its walls, including on Facebook and Twitter.

According to YouTube, the video was not recommended by its systems. The majority of the traffic and views come from external sites."

moar:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/youtube-anthony-fauci-deep-state-coronavirus

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