Tech companies are getting more aggressive to fight COVID-19 hoaxes
You hate to accuse our big tech platforms of being responsible during a crisis. For one thing, they benefit from low expectations, having historically ignored much of the misinformation that they unwittingly promoted with their recommendation algorithms. And for another, the American part of the COVID-19 crisis is likely just beginning: each day brings with it a fresh raft of headlines about new diagnoses, new conference cancelations, new restrictions on employee travel, and so on. With the novel coronavirus, as with so much else lately, it appears that things really are going to get worse before they get better.
Still, as I look at the past few days of news, I can’t help but notice hopeful signs. The big tech companies and social...