In December, WHO and the National Academy of Medicine established a set of policies to help counteract the increase of health misinformation being posted on social media and digital platforms.
An international group of public health experts convened by WHO and The BMJ say for something to be considered credible, sources should be science-based, objective, transparent and accountable.
"The rapid spread of health misinformation through digital platforms has become a serious threat to public health globally," Andy Pattison, team lead of the WHO Department of Digital Health and Innovation said in a December meeting. "Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, WHO has worked with technology companies to keep people safe and informed by improving accessibility of high-quality health information online. It is every platform’s responsibility to protect the safety and health of their users. For this reason, we encourage all digital platforms to incorporate the new global principles for identifying credible sources of health information in their guidelines, safety policies and enforcement to protect public health."
In January, the National Academy of Medicine and WHO met with representatives from 40 major technology companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, TikTok, and YouTube, and urged them to adopt the principles.