Managing the COVID-19 information epidemic

 Managing the COVID-19 information epidemic: promoting healthy behaviors and mitigating the harmful effects of misinformation

Joint statement by WHO, United Nations, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Global Feel the Pulse Initiative, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is the first in history that technology and social media are used on such a large scale to inform and keep people safe, productive, and connect. At the same time, the technology we rely on to communicate and inform is giving way to an exaggerated information epidemic that continues to undermine global response efforts and threaten measures to combat the pandemic.

The information epidemic is referred to as the torrential flow of information on and off the Internet. It includes deliberate attempts to spread misinformation to undermine the public health response and serve alternative collective or individual goals. This false and misleading information may lead to harm to people's physical and psychological health; exacerbation of stigmatization practices; jeopardizing precious health gains; Encouraging deregulation of public health measures, which thus limits their effectiveness and threatens the ability of countries to halt the course of the pandemic.

Misinformation takes lives. Without the right amount of trust and correct information, people are reluctant to benefit from diagnostic tests, the goals of immunization campaigns (or campaigns to promote effective vaccines) are lost, and the virus continues to thrive and spread.

Furthermore, the information polarizes public debate on topics related to COVID-19, fuels hate speech, heightens risks of conflict, violence, and human rights violations, and threatens long-term prospects for democracy, human rights, and social cohesion.

In this context, in April 2020, the United Nations Secretary-General launched the United Nations Communications Response Initiative to combat the spread of misinformation. The United Nations also issued a Guidance Note on Addressing and Responding to Hate Speech in the Context of COVID-19 (11 May 2020).

At the World Health Assembly in May 2020, WHO Member States adopted Resolution WHA73-1 on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution recognizes the importance of confronting the information epidemic as an essential part of efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic, calling on member states to provide reliable content about Covid-19 and take measures to refute misleading and false information and harness digital technologies in various aspects of the response. The resolution also calls on international organizations to confront false and misleading information in the digital space, work to counter harmful electronic activities that undermine the health response to the pandemic, and support the availability of accurate scientific data to the public.

The United Nations and civil society organizations are working to harness their collective experiences and knowledge to address these information epidemics. While the pandemic continues to cause anxiety and uncertainty, there is an urgent need for more robust measures to address the information epidemic and the adoption of a coordinated approach in this regard among States, multilateral organizations, civil society, and all other actors with a clear role and a firm responsibility to combat disinformation and misinformation.

We call on Member States to prepare and implement action plans to address the information epidemic by enhancing the timely availability of accurate science-based and evidence-based information to all segments of society, especially the most vulnerable; Preventing and combating false and misleading information, while respecting freedom of expression.

We urge the Member States to engage and listen to their communities in preparing their national plans of action, and to empower communities to develop solutions and build resilience to disinformation and misinformation.

We further call on all stakeholders – including media and social media platforms through which misinformation is spread – researchers and technologists who can design and build effective strategies and tools to respond to the information epidemic, civil society leaders and influencers – to collaborate with the United Nations system the Member States and with each other and to further strengthen their actions aimed at disseminating accurate information and preventing the spread of false and misleading information.