Fighting India鈥檚 Covid infodemic
What role should government and tech companies play in tackling Covid misinformation?
Fake news and misinformation are hampering India's battle with the coronavirus pandemic. Right from the origins of the virus to unproven alternative cures to efficacy of vaccines, a wave of mass anxiety has washed over the country's social media.
While most misleading messages spread through online platforms, experts say senior leaders and influencers have also played a role in fuelling traditional sentiments that prefer alternative therapies to modern medicine. This has increased vaccine hesitancy, especially in rural India, and led to political as well as medical misinformation.
Conspiracy theories and false claims not only spread rapidly, they also prompt people to take action in real life - often with severe consequences.
What kinds of fake news have dominated India's coronavirus landscape? What role can tech companies play to keep this in check? And is the government a bigger stakeholder in fighting the fake news menace?
Presenter: Devina Gupta
Contributors: Pratik Sinha, co-founder, Alt News; Apar Gupta, executive director, Internet Freedom Foundation; Dr Vasundhara Rangaswamy, microbiologist, primary care physician
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- Fri 11 Jun 2021 14:32GMT麻豆社 World Service South Asia & East Asia only
- Sat 12 Jun 2021 10:32GMT麻豆社 World Service except Australasia, East Asia & South Asia
- Sat 12 Jun 2021 23:32GMT麻豆社 World Service Australasia, East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 13 Jun 2021 04:32GMT麻豆社 World Service South Asia & East Asia only
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