The three weapons to combat disinformation about the virus: prudence, science and facts

These days, information flows like wildfire among citizens. It is therefore important to know that unsubstantiated content can become disinformation. 
Since the emergence of the use of satellites for communication, any fact or event is experienced live. We have the information in real time, we receive it, we interpret it and we share it. With the arrival of social networks, this immediacy has gained traction over reflection and critical thinking. We do not question the images, sounds or comments that reach us, and on most occasions we do not know the veracity of the content or the source that has generated this information.

Throughout history, information has played a very important role in society. However, in times of crisis such as the one in COVID-19, misuse can become a problem of great consequence. In this context, technological platforms and verifiers (fact checkers) become an essential element in the search for the truth.

What could be more pleasing than a good plot: is this a conspiracy, is the United States behind it, is it a trade war, is it a sophisticated and random way of controlling the population, what foreign agent could have given rise to this form of pneumonia, will it disappear with warm weather? It is in this context that disinformation finds a perfect setting for transmission. It is not the lack of ethics that leads to the invention of stories, nor the ignorance of the damage that these can cause, but the sophistication that is hidden when these hoaxes, well armed and better directed, cause us to confuse truth with lies.

Checking the information we receive is usually limited. We do not fact check if we have received it from a family member or friend, if we have seen it on TV or heard it on the radio. By not questioning the information and not stopping to reflect, we not only echo it, but we believe it and reinforce it by becoming another agent of disinformation. The fear of entering a Chinese-run establishment or not sitting in the subway next to an Asian have been some of the behaviors with which we have received and interpreted the information about the COVID-19 in its early days at the end of 2019. From the statement that ibuprofen increases the effects of the coronavirus and its recommendation to stop taking it, to Nostradamus' supposed "prediction" in 1555 regarding the appearance of COVID-19. All this, as well as other information such as the fact that the virus was created in a laboratory in Wuhan to reduce the population or that tea and other infusions prevent infection by the virus, similar to what would happen if you took citrus fruit regularly.

The influence of misinformation on our habits, decision making and perception of reality, requires a rigorous task of research and in-depth analysis.
In recent weeks, both in Spain and in other countries, measures or action plans initiated by governments, institutions or official bodies have been implemented. But what role does the EU play in this context?

It is important not to backtrack on strengthening the union between countries by establishing a common policy, guidelines, a joint vision and a collaborative plan. We are at a time when citizens need references, truthful information, solidarity and internationally coordinated actions to reduce the social and economic impact. In this context, Europe and European institutions such as the European Commission play an important role.

The European Union started a network for epidemiological surveillance as early as 1998, and later on the Health Security Committee. Furthermore, Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states, inter alia, that "a high level of human health protection shall be ensured". The same article states that "Union action shall complement national policies and cover surveillance, early warning and combating of serious cross-border threats to health, and that Member States, in cooperation with the Commission, shall coordinate among themselves their policies and programmes in the areas where the Union has action in the field of public health".

As part of the Plan to Combat Misinformation, the European Commission adopted a Code of Practice in 2018 requiring digital platforms to identify false accounts and non-human interactions (bots). The forceful application of this code is essential at this time and in circumstances where the health of people, especially the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, is at stake.

The problem posed by COVID-19 infection for the general population and the high risk to the health of the elderly and chronically ill, added to the socio-economic and occupational impact, has led the European institutions to focus on managing the crisis from a global perspective. Healthcare aid, supply of materials, support for hospital facilities and funding for the development of a vaccine are among Europe's priorities, and within the framework of the Stability and Growth Pact are employment, businesses or the economy. The UN Global Pact calls on business to support those affected by the current outbreak of COVID-19 through three main aspects: prudence, science and facts. False news, hoaxes or distorted information and the speed with which they can spread in crisis situations, are increasingly challenging society and for European and governmental institutions.

Education, media literacy, the commitment of technology giants and fact checker networks are the best antidote to online misinformation. In Spain, the European Observatory for the Analysis and Prevention of Disinformation in collaboration with the Representation of the European Commission in Spain and the Directorate of the Information Office of the European Parliament, and the Maldita.es Foundation act as active catalysts to analyse, from different areas, the impact of disinformation on public, media, social and political activity. Hence the need to investigate the phenomenon and find ways to counteract it in order to improve our democratic quality.

The best way to fight disinformation is precisely education, critical thinking, training and research. The search for truth, as well as questioning assertions, seeing beyond images, reflecting on motives or analyzing impact are exercises that everyone should carry out.

Silvia Carrascal is a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is a member of the European Observatory for the Analysis and Prevention of Disinformation, ObEDes. A non-profit organization whose main objective is to put the value of education as a key tool for the prevention, detection and analysis of disinformation, promoting the development of critical thinking, collaboration and coexistence

Asela Pintado Sanz is Director of Institutional Relations, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. She does not receive a salary, nor does she do consulting work, nor does she own shares, nor does she receive funding from any company or organization that could benefit from this article, and she has stated that she has no relevant links beyond the academic position cited

This article was written with the collaboration of Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, president of the Committee of Experts of the European Observatory for the Analysis and Prevention of Disinformation