TY - JOUR T1 - WHO and digital agencies: how to effectively tackle COVID-19 misinformation online JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009483 VL - 7 IS - 8 SP - e009483 AU - Federico Germani AU - Andrew B Pattison AU - Monta Reinfelde Y1 - 2022/08/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/7/8/e009483.abstract N2 - Summary boxWHO convened the Tech Task Force (TTF) on COVID-19, with companies in the social media and tech industry from around the world to identify strategies to limit the circulation of fake news and harmful contents.WHO has worked with Google to ensure that people who search information related to COVID-19 are exposed to evidence-based information.WHO has been actively promoting evidence-based messages, has worked with tech companies to pull down misinformation from the Internet, and with the support of digital agencies – has created tools, applications, and new channels to amplify the reach of trustworthy health information.Joint efforts between WHO and the private sector can promote health and keep the world safe.On 30 January 2020, as a consequence of the globally deteriorating epidemiological situation, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the COVID-19 situation to be a public health emergency of international concern.1 The global health disaster has been exacerbated by a concomitant epidemic of misinformation online, which has been referred to as an ‘infodemic’.2 The prominent feature of this infodemic is an epidemic-like circulation of fake news, which includes scientific misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.3 Misinformation circulates through digital channels faster and more effectively than accurate information does.4 Through social media in particular,5 6 unfounded rumours and conspiracy theories can have a broad reach, greatly contributing to people’s beliefs and behaviours. Scientific misinformation has been a large challenge for the implementation of solutions to halt the ongoing pandemic, and high rates of vaccine hesitancy have been a deterrent to a successful management of COVID-19. COVID-19 misinformation is driven by conspiracy theories on the origin of the pandemic, on the dangers posed by global vaccination campaigns or by inaccurate measures to prevent or treat the disease.7 8 For instance, one of the most … ER -