Stop and think, check the URL, and verify the source of the information: Against the spread of the Corona virus, social networks are inundated with false information. This way you can easily refute it

• Illustration // Photo: EPA

Quarantine and anxiety surrounding the Corona virus often cause us, as in any difficult or disastrous event, to seek information that will help us understand the situation around us more. However, it is precisely for this reason that we often become victims of misinformed or intentionally biased information and even spread it further, expanding the overall level of anxiety or much disinformation that goes on social networks anyway. This is true throughout the year, and even more true on April 1, the day in which the West has rooted in the tradition of disseminating humorous and disturbing information.

Stop and think

We want to help our family and friends, to give them information especially on these days of uncertainty. This is why we straight forward pass every piece of information that comes to us on social networks. But we often do this without stopping for a second to read in depth what is written and find out whether the information seems logical or not. Therefore, even before the rest of our advice, the first recommendation is not to pass the information straight on - stop, take a breath, read carefully what you have been through and try to think if it makes sense or is wrong.

Check the source of the information

No, a friend of a friend is not a reliable source, neither a family member nor a message that seems to have been written by a security official. Always only pass on information that you are sure that the distributor is qualified for and that you know the distributor well. Reliable information on the Corona will come out in a statement from the Department of Health, the Prime Minister's Office, the World Health Organization and possibly the US FDA. Do not disseminate any information from another party even if it claims to have heard, read, or obtained it from a reliable source.

Check the URL

Nowadays it is very easy to fake a form of a government website, pass a screenshot or a link that seems to be the real thing. So when you get a link or screenshot - check the address and compare it to the real known source. You will usually find that they have worked on you and may even have become designated for distribution of damages. By the way, don't be impressed with capital letters or special fonts. Government websites do not try to scare you and use them. This is usually the first sign of forgery.

If you are not sure do not transfer

Do you have the feeling that the information is not reliable, you have not checked it, you know the expert but have not heard it say the things? Don't move on. Very simple and will help us save other people's stress and heartache.

Check each fact separately

Do you deserve a list of tips and some of them known and known? This does not mean that all the tips on the list are such. Pike News distributors often combine credible and unreliable information to give the correct information about the disinformation they are trying to transmit on the network.

Beware of emotional posts and publications

Emotions like anxiety, fear, dread, are an easy trap for Pike News makers and cellphone hunters. An official will always post neutral and non-hysterical information, so if you have an exciting, alarming, scary news with emotional terminology, 99.99 percent is Pike News.

Beware of self-bias

We often share information we agree with, and even think so. But there is a difference between our thinking and our approach to life and scientific truth. Therefore, even if you received a message that you really, but really agree with, does not mean that it is a scientific truth and it does not mean that your truth is true. Be careful not to pass on any information that you agree with. It's always better to be careful about spreading nonsense, especially during these difficult days.