Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rob Roberts and Cheryl Gillan

Monday 27th April 2020 Commons Chamber

[Rob Roberts (Delyn) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to tackle disinformation on covid-19.

[Dame Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to tackle disinformation on covid-19.

[The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Oliver Dowden)]

I welcome the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jo Stevens) to her position as shadow Secretary of State; she will participate virtually later. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Maria Caulfield), who is not present because she has temporarily returned to the nursing profession to help to combat covid-19—she would normally be our Bench Whip.

Accurate, trusted information is more important than ever in this public health crisis. The cross-Whitehall counter-disinformation unit is providing a comprehensive picture of disinformation and misinformation on coronavirus. I have engaged personally with social media platforms, which have made technical and policy changes to stem the spread of misinformation. For example, YouTube now removes content that denies the existence of covid-19 or contradicts NHS information, and WhatsApp has reduced the number of contacts to whom a message can be forwarded.