Censorship/Cross-regional Statement
Cross-Regional Statement on “Infodemic” in the Context of COVID-19
An undated document has been signed by 132 Member States (of the WHO) declaring:
We remain committed to creating a healthy information environment at the national, regional and global levels, in which the “infodemic” is countered by scientific, evidenced-based information and facts. By doing this, we will be better prepared for dealing with the next “infodemic”.
Impact on Free Speech
The acronym WHO stands for World Health Organisation (emphasis added).
The WHO has extended its' role during the current COVID-19 pandemic to address information management, by defining an infodemic and creating a new branch of study termed infodemiology.
132 Member States have signed their commitment to 'strongly support the United Nations Communications Response initiative and the “Verified” campaign announced by the UN Secretary General on April 14, 2020'.
This document can be viewed online here: Cross-Regional Statement on “Infodemic” in the Context of COVID-19
Member States would also be involved in an aspect of infodemiology called EARS - see below. This technology could be broadened to include surveillance on internet traffic other than public health issues.
Infodemic - Research & Innovation
WHO is working with partners across society to strengthen the scientific discipline of infodemiology. The purpose is to build and deliver sustainable tools that health authorities and communities can use to prevent and overcome the harmful impacts caused by infodemics.
Through partnerships, WHO works to bolster digital capabilities and leverage social inoculation principles to foster higher digital and health literacy, build resilience to misinformation, and deliver innovative ways to reach communities with reliable health information. Here are a few of those innovations:
- Developing a public health research agenda that provides guidance for where to invest in research to better understand, measure and respond to infodemics
- Establishing EARS, an early AI-supported response and social listening tool to help health authorities quickly identify rising narratives and “information voids” that interfere with people getting the information they need to make good health choices
- Running a weekly aggregate of publicly available social and news media, web analytics and online search data to identify and understand online infodemic-related conversation patterns
- Conducting visual network analyses to better understand the ecosystems where misinformation is able to thrive
- Establishing a repository of ~200 active COVID-19 fact-checking groups that verify COVID-19 related claims in more than 40 languages
- Refining an AI-based infodemic observatory to assess the current status of misinformation and disinformation diffusion
To advance progress on infodemiology, WHO regularly convenes the global community for conferences to discuss and chart ways forward on infodemic management topics.
Source: World Health Organization Infodemic
