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35 Civil Societies Meet To Tackle COVID-19 Misinformation

The civil societies vowed to use ICT, including the social media to dispel rumours, fake news, misinformation and disinformation which could worsen the already volatile health situation in the country.

No fewer than 35 civil societies have met in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to deliberate on ways of using Information and Communications Technology to fight misinformation, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The civil societies vowed to use ICT, including the social media to dispel rumours, fake news, misinformation and disinformation which could worsen the already volatile health situation in the country.

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The civil societies were taken through a capacity training workshop which was organised by a group, Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, the TADI Executive Director, Ambassador Yomi David, said the civil societies, drawn from the six geo-political zones, had been given ICT skills to ensure that they lived up to the task of accurate information dissemination and wage the war against fake news, rumours and propaganda, especially in the COVID-19 era.

“The issue of fake news and misinformation flying around is particularly an individual challenge. We need to reorient individuals on how to verify, sieve and disseminate information. What necessitated this training is particularly during this COVID-19 pandemic era, when there is lot of misinformation.”

The civil societies were taken through electronic mail protection, detection of spams, harmful internet and phone applications among other precautions to take when deploying the ICT in their daily activities.

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PUBLIC HEALTH