With coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) threatening to rear its head in Kerala again, the police have flagged the increasing misuse of social media to spread misinformation about the pandemic.
They have stumbled upon several deceptive posts, including few that actively promote the use of alcohol as a prophylactic for the virus outbreak. They have booked four persons for disseminating fake news about the infection. The misinformation campaign that has also hit Kerala seems to be in lockstep with the relentless march of the virus across the globe. The State, with its sizeable diaspora and a high degree of smartphone and social media penetration, offers an unusually large target for fake news in the time of the public health crisis.
Social networking services that offer video-sharing appears to be the preferred vehicle for spreading fake news about the outbreak.
Mischief-mongers have used them to promote magic cures, quack treatments, and non-clinical remedies to combat the viral infection.
‘Naturopathy experts’
The police are focussed on the online activities of a few self-styled evangelists for naturopathy. They had used their social media heft to instigate people to shun medical care during the Nipah outbreak in 2019.
One of them recently questioned the need to quarantine COVID-19 patients, disparaged the State’s efforts to contain the illness, and offered to treat stricken persons without donning protective gear. Some have created fake social media accounts to debunk empirical evidence about the spread of the virus and offered alarmist propaganda that focussed on conspiracy theories instead.
The police are also monitoring social media for attempts to ostracise patients and stigmatise caregivers.
State Police Chief Loknath Behera on Monday warned that the law enforcement would prosecute those who spread misinformation about the outbreak. Kerala Police Cyberdome is trawling the internet to flag disinformation as a precursor of prosecution.
