Security and Intelligence Service warns about the anonymous administrators of online sources that spread fake news about the COVID-19 evolution and protection and prevention measures.
In order to reduce the impact of fake news about COVID-19 evolution, if you identify such sources or fake accounts on social networks used to spread widely misinformation, we encourage you to inform the Security and Intelligence Service on the e-mail press@sis.md and to mention administrators of the accounts and their posts.
At the same time, SIS encourages you to take the following steps before making the decision to like or share the news:
- Do your research and assess the news by correlating it with official sources (state institutions, and relevant international organizations involved in management of the pandemic). At the same time, if the article/ post contains declarations or press releases of the officials or national/ international organizations or institutions, compare the content of the message in the article with the original one (check official websites or official accounts on the social networks).
- Avoid sharing news based only on the headlines without an assessment of the content. One of the methods used by anonymous sources spreading fake news is posting “sensational” clickbait headlines that manipulate readers’ curiosity. Thus, some anonymous sources spreading fake news determine readers to share their news via social networks. Usually, their goal is either to get more pageviews or to generate panic.
- Assess the source of information (pay attention to the author of the article, the web address of the source/ websites and blogs with suspicious names/ as well as other articles posted on that website).
- Pay attention to the content of the news (compliance with ethical rules in the article, proper grammar, authenticity of the photo, video, audio content).
- Pay attention to the release date of the news (manipulative news or ones that reflect the reality of the past, which is irrelevant in the present and can generate panic).
- If you identify articles spread via social networks, assess the source that disseminates them (some fake news are shared via fake accounts on social networks).
- If you find any news about "efficient" methods of self-treatment or efficiency of taking certain substances, vitamins, medicines to prevent or treat COVID-19, consult your family physician and official statements of the Ministry of Health and WHO.
We rely on your responsible attitude, therefore strengthening efforts in this regard is crucial.
We provide examples of fake news about the COVID-19 evolution and protection and prevention measures, which led to blocking of some anonymous resources that were widely spread in communication groups on social networks.
12.05.2020
