War Against COVID-19 Fake News... Wise Collective Intelligence Steps Up

A COVID-19 map service that shows the movement paths of confirmed novel coronavirus patients on a map

[Asia Economy Reporters Buaeri and Jeong Donghoon] The collective intelligence of citizens is shining in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). This is also positive in terms of countering the flood of fake news. The various information they provide is based on data from credible national institutions, so the reliability is relatively high. However, from the user's perspective, it is difficult to individually verify which information can be trusted, so there are also calls for efforts to acquire and compare information through various channels.

The most popular services include 'Corona Map' and 'Corona Alimi,' which inform users of confirmed patients' movement routes and visited areas. Corona Map is a service created by university student Lee Donghun (27). It provides the movement routes and quarantine locations of confirmed novel coronavirus patients, as well as the number of confirmed and symptomatic individuals through a map. The number of people contacted at each location by each confirmed patient is also displayed. It was created based on data provided by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and citizen reports. Lee said, "I wanted to provide intuitive information using a map based on official information," adding, "I thought there was a lot of information online that incited fear, so I decided to create a direct information service."

The 'Corona Alimi' site, which shows the areas visited by confirmed domestic patients at a glance, was created by four students from Korea University. When accessing this site, users can check the confirmed patients' visited locations and nearby clinics based on their personal location information. If users allow sharing of their 'My Location' information, nearby confirmed patient visit locations are displayed with a red inverted triangle symbol labeled 'Confirmed.'

COVID-19 Alert Service Screen

While the government provides information related to the novel coronavirus through various channels, the popularity of such 'private information services' is due to differences in the 'intuitiveness' of information. Office worker Im Hosan (33) said, "Institutions like the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide official information, but there are limits to displaying the information users want in an easy-to-understand way," adding, "Apps or sites voluntarily created by citizens have great advantages in this regard." Im also noted that these services are based on government-released data or official materials provided by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), so their reliability is high.

In addition, apps that check contact with confirmed patients are also gaining popularity. The 'Wuhan Pneumonia Contact Check' app has been downloaded over 50,000 times. This app records the user's location in real time by turning on the smartphone GPS function during outdoor movement and compares it with confirmed patients' routes. Apps such as 'Wuhan Pneumonia Risk Map' and 'Wuhan Corona Real-Time Statistics,' which provide real-time information on prevention methods and confirmed patients, are also widely referenced by many people.

Professor Yoo Hongsik of the Department of Media Communication at Chung-Ang University said, "Distrust of information such as fake news is likely the reason why the private sector has taken the initiative to provide information directly," adding, "Nevertheless, since there is always a risk of exposure to incorrect information that has not been verified, citizens need to acquire information multidimensionally based on official government information."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.