Facebook, Microsoft, Google Team Up Against Virus Misinformation

Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News

A man is reflected in a window while using a smart phone in Hong Kong, China, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. Hong Kong's benchmark equity gauge rose above the 30,000 level for the first time in a decade as Tencent Holdings Ltd. extended its rally and Chinese financial shares climbed. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp., Twitter Inc. and Reddit said they are teaming up to provide accurate information about the coronavirus and the Covid-19 illness it causes.

“We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world,” according to a joint statement from the companies issued Monday.

Microsoft’s LinkedIn and Google’s YouTube also are part of the group.

The technology giants and social networks said other companies are welcome to join their efforts. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Monday also said it “has convened, and will continue to, a number of meetings with different groups of American tech companies and industry associations as part of our whole-of-America response to COVID-19.”

Some of the companies, including Facebook and YouTube, earlier pledged to fight misinformation before Monday’s announcement.

--With assistance from Naomi Nix.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Gurman in Los Angeles at mgurman1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Anne VanderMey