Facebook and Google are among series of tech giants to join a new collaborative effort led by Full Fact to tackle misinformation online.

The fact-checking organisation is assembling experts from a range of companies and institutions, including the UK Government, Twitter, Google and Reuters to help address the issue.

Other organisations involved in the project include Privy Council Office (Canada), First Draft, Africa Check, Boom (India), Chequeado (Argentina) and Maldita.es (Spain.)

The group aims to set standards of accountability for tackling misinformation, as well to identify ways to respond to bad information that can work across all of the participating organisations.

Full Fact said that with a coronavirus vaccine now potentially just months away, a wave of related bad information could undermine trust in medicine “when it matters most.”

The project will attempt learn the lessons of previous waves of bad information, whether during elections or pandemics, to ensure organisations across industries are ready to contain the next crisis before it unfolds.

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