Social media giants Facebook, Google and Twitter will face questions from MPs today in a virtual grilling on the spread of fake news and misinformation amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The online session of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee will give MPs the opportunity to question the BigTech firms about their action and its effectiveness in reducing the deliberate spreading of harmful content about the coronavirus pandemic.

The session will be attended by Katy Minshall, UK head of government, public policy and philanthropy at Twitter, Richard Earley, UK public policy manager at Facebook, and Alina Dimofte, public policy and government relations manager at Google.

The executives will be asked about measures they have put in place to tackle a Coronavirus ‘infodemic’ of false narratives, such as conspiracy theories around 5G broadband or claims of fake Twitter accounts posing as those of NHS staff.

The wider use of these measures to address online harms beyond the crisis will also be considered.

It comes after the online harms and disinformation sub-committee launched an inquiry into the issue, with the public invited to send in examples of online disinformation and misinformation ahead of the hearing.

A panel of experts with a range of backgrounds investigating misinformation, disinformation and cyber security will also appear to consider the success of tactics used to identify and counter global sources of disinformation.

Earlier this month, broadcast regulator Ofcom - which has been tasked with drawing up plans to regulate harmful content on social media companies - said the regulator would prioritise all COVID-related complaints and investigations following a rise in broadcast standards complaints.

DCMS committee chair Julian Knight said: “The fact that nearly half of online adults in the UK reported being exposed to false claims about the coronavirus in a single week is evidence that we cannot let up in this battle to stamp out dangerous narratives.

“The committee will be examining attempts to spread falsehoods about COVID-19 whether through misinformation or disinformation and will be rigorous in demanding action to deal with those responsible.”

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