In Brief: Google pledges $6.5 mn to curb spread of Covid-19 misinformation

Search engine giant Google has pledged $6.5 million to prevent the spread of Covid-19 misinformation, the company said in a blog post. The company will use the fund, sourced through Google News Initiative, for fact checkers and non-profit organisations fighting misinformation.  Local Google Trends data will be available for journalists, health organisations and local authorities to help them understand people’s information needs around the world, the company added. The number of positive Covid-19 cases in India has reached 4,067, including 109 fatalities, according to data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as of 9 AM on Monday

Read: Google offers advanced features, tools to tackle Covid-19 crisis

Govt to appoint veterans to develop Covid-19 tech platform: Report

Mahindra & Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran will be members of a government-appointed panel that will develop a Covid-19 technology platform, The Economic Times reported. The panel will also help improve the functioning of the Aarogya Setu app, keeping in mind the privacy concerns, in the next three months, the report added. The app helps people self-assess their risk of being infected with Covid-19. It uses Bluetooth technology and GPS-generated information to alert citizens about their proximity to Covid-19 infected persons. Additionally, the panel will process proposals on tackling the pandemic from academicians, technology and healthcare professionals, and the public, it added.

Read: Coronavirus India live updates