Big Tech must keep tabs on Covid-19 "fake news," EU warns

The EU has said tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Twitter and Facebook must continue their monthly reports into "fake news" regarding the Covid-19 pandemic for at least another six months.

Social media platforms have been under fire throughout the pandemic for their passive acceptance and lack of action combating conspiracy theories, especially regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine hysteria.

Read more: Big Tech threatened with sanctions if they refuse to work with the EU

Several companies, including TikTok and advertisers, have come together to sign the EU's code of practice regarding the spreading of misinformation in online circles.

The six-month time frame is to allow for the monitoring of this information to continue throughout the pandemic, EU officials have said.

The accord mandates these companies provide more evidence on how disinformation spreads after they spent the previous six months sending in similar reports.

Conspiracy theories related to the crisis that can be circulated across social media include vaccine hysteria - more commonly referred to in online circles as "anti-vaxx" - as well as various conspiracies relating to the coronaviruses validity as a disease, misinformation about the efficacy of masks and downplaying mortality and lethality rates.

The EC's Vice-President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova said in a statement: “The pandemic has become a breeding ground for false claims and conspiracy theories and platforms are important amplifiers of this type of messages."

Microsoft is currently engaged in a project to create a "Covid vaccine passport" which will indicate a user has been immunised against the disease, which will allow for freedom of travel within certain industries.

Read more: Digital Covid vaccine passport enters development

If successful, this could help the industry sector get up and running again, as people who are immunised have little need to fear the virus, transmitting it, or remaining within lockdown conditions.

It could also help people in particular jobs return to work - particularly in fields where working from home is inefficient, difficult, or impossible, such as the construction, manufacturing and aviation sectors.

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