Governments Are Now Using Telegram to Combat Fake News About COVID-19


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As COVID-19 has caused some panic and uncertainty among many, it leads to multiple pani- buying of toilet rolls whenever our Prime Minister makes a speech some Covidiots have also taken this chance to spread more fear and confusion among the community.

And that means…

Fake News Circulating

Singapore has its fair share of fake news going on even without COVID-19.

However, since the start of COVID-19, many have tried to induce more fear to the community by releasing unreliable and incorrect news.

For what reason, no one knows.

One of which includes the supermarket being opened for only two days per week or that Woodlands MRT station was closed due to suspected case.

While we do understand that with strict measures and circuit breaker being implemented, many are seeking some form of entertainment to keep themselves sane, spreading of incorrect information is just wrong – especially as everyone is fighting hard against COVID-19.

But it turns out that there’s a way to counter it.

Reader Bao: POFMA?

That’s only in Singapore. Worldwide, we have…

Telegram to the Rescue

As government across the globes are finding ways to disseminate updates of COVID-19 promptly – and fight fake news, many have decided to utilize the now trendy messaging platform: Telegram.

You can watch this video to understand why Telegram is growing as fast as your waistline now:

(Do check out our YouTube channel for more informative and entertaining videos!)

Without a doubt, Singapore has also launched her own Telegram group, Gov.sg, to keep public updated on any important news – not fake.

Other than Singapore, countries such as Malaysia and India have also hopped on the bandwagon to broadcast their new updates, leverage on Telegram instead of the usual Facebook or mainstream channels to fight fake news.

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After all, just last month, Telegram announced that they have 400 million monthly active users – while not close to WhatsApp’s 2 billion monthly active users, it’s still a very tight race.


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On top of being an interactive platform, with cute and interesting stickers, Telegram also ensures a strict verification process for official channels, which prevents the possibility of misinformation and better distinguish trustworthy sources and groups.

You’d have noticed a blue tick on some channels recently if you use Telegram actively.

Now, who would have thought that Telegram would become one of the tools to fight COVID-19?