Google launched an educational website on coronavirus in the United States
- Google has debuted an educational website on coronavirus in the United States, designed to provide accurate information on education, prevention, and local resources.
- Concerns around disinformation have swirled around the pandemic, as platforms like Fox News and Whatsapp have been identified as spreading false and misleading information.
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Google debuted an educational website on the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which focuses on providing accurate information on education, prevention, and local resources.
The site is designed to highlight information from "authoritative" sources at the front of the pandemic response, like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, to gather information on data visualization, safety and prevention, relief efforts, and resources for affected individuals and businesses.
The launch coincided with a major uptick in cases of the virus identified in the US, where there are cases in every state and 274 deaths as of March 21. The virus has dominated global searches on the platform, according to Google.
"As coronavirus becomes a challenge in more communities and as authorities around the world develop new guidance and tools to address the pandemic, we'll continue to find more opportunities to connect people with key information to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe," Emily Moxley, Product Management Director of Search, said in a statement alongside the launch.
Concerns around disinformation have swirled around the pandemic, as false and misleading information has been aired on a variety of platforms, from Fox News to encrypted messaging app Whatsapp.
Google's site launch comes nearly a week after President Donald Trump announced the administration was partnering with Google to build a website to screen symptoms and direct people to testing sites. Google's sister site Verily later clarified that the site would not be available nationwide, but only for a limited number of people in San Francisco's Bay Area.
The announcement for the new site does not mention if it will contain any screening capabilities or testing site information in the future. The site also said it was initially just debuted in English, but will be available in more languages and countries over the following days.
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