Misinformation fueled by the internet will heighten the danger posed by future pandemics, Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Mass., wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.
Schneier's five main arguments:
1. Widespread misinformation is especially likely during a pandemic. Scientists won't have much information in a pandemic's early stages, and people will latch on to rumors to fill in the gap, aided by viral tweets and videos.
2. Working to eliminate pandemic disinformation could likely help fight political disinformation, such as the 2016 Russian disinformation campaign during the presidential election.
3. Pandemics are an inevitable future issue. Despite advances in modern medicine, factors such as the increase in global trade and population density make pandemics more likely.
4. Accurate information is as important as disease treatment. Schneier cites the Nigerian government's successful containment of Ebola in 2014, which involved government-sponsored videos and social media campaigns to accurately inform the public.
5. Government health departments, healthcare workers, social media companies and other groups will have to work together on solutions with multiple interventions.