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Be Wary of Those Texts From a Friend of a Friend’s Aunt Be Wary of Those Texts From a Friend of a Friend’s Aunt
(1 day later)
The text messages have largely followed a pattern: The author claims to have a connection to someone working at a clinic or government agency — an aunt, a neighbor, a friend’s cousin — who has revealed unannounced plans for an impending lockdown or quarantine. They’re passing along a warning, telling recipients of the urgent need to stockpile food, gas, medicine or other necessities. They often contain pleas that they be forwarded to others.The text messages have largely followed a pattern: The author claims to have a connection to someone working at a clinic or government agency — an aunt, a neighbor, a friend’s cousin — who has revealed unannounced plans for an impending lockdown or quarantine. They’re passing along a warning, telling recipients of the urgent need to stockpile food, gas, medicine or other necessities. They often contain pleas that they be forwarded to others.
And none of them are true.And none of them are true.
The texts are sometimes laced with elements of truth, making their false conclusions seem plausible, especially as every passing hour seems to bring a dramatic shift to the way the coronavirus is changing our everyday lives.The texts are sometimes laced with elements of truth, making their false conclusions seem plausible, especially as every passing hour seems to bring a dramatic shift to the way the coronavirus is changing our everyday lives.
The latest such message spread on Sunday, prompting an announcement from the National Security Council: “Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE,” it said in a tweet on Sunday, just before midnight. “There is no national lockdown.”The latest such message spread on Sunday, prompting an announcement from the National Security Council: “Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE,” it said in a tweet on Sunday, just before midnight. “There is no national lockdown.”
With the rapid spread of the coronavirus across the world, misinformation has followed suit. Other messages in recent weeks, reflecting the same pattern, have warned that New York City public transit would shut down last week (it’s still running), or that the entire Pacific Northwest would be quarantined last week (also not true). At least one message said that President Trump would declare a national emergency within three days — Mr. Trump declared the emergency on Friday, but that did not give him the power to impose a national quarantine.With the rapid spread of the coronavirus across the world, misinformation has followed suit. Other messages in recent weeks, reflecting the same pattern, have warned that New York City public transit would shut down last week (it’s still running), or that the entire Pacific Northwest would be quarantined last week (also not true). At least one message said that President Trump would declare a national emergency within three days — Mr. Trump declared the emergency on Friday, but that did not give him the power to impose a national quarantine.
The World Health Organization has warned of an “infodemic” and is trying to fight rumors and falsehoods on the internet about the coronavirus. Social media companies like Facebook and Twitter are racing to remove misinformation about the virus from their platforms, often unsuccessfully.The World Health Organization has warned of an “infodemic” and is trying to fight rumors and falsehoods on the internet about the coronavirus. Social media companies like Facebook and Twitter are racing to remove misinformation about the virus from their platforms, often unsuccessfully.
Text messages, however, can pose a particular problem, said Graham Brookie, the director and managing editor of the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council. He said text messages are usually a trusted medium, in part because the sender needs to know the recipient’s phone number. They cannot be as easily forwarded as messages on other social media, like WhatsApp messages or Facebook posts.Text messages, however, can pose a particular problem, said Graham Brookie, the director and managing editor of the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council. He said text messages are usually a trusted medium, in part because the sender needs to know the recipient’s phone number. They cannot be as easily forwarded as messages on other social media, like WhatsApp messages or Facebook posts.
“It’s a little bit more intentional,” he said.“It’s a little bit more intentional,” he said.
By sourcing information to a relative or friend of a friend, the messages appear to be conversational and accessible while maintaining a “facade of credibility,” he said.By sourcing information to a relative or friend of a friend, the messages appear to be conversational and accessible while maintaining a “facade of credibility,” he said.
The disinformation follows a familiar playbook used on other social media, old-fashioned chain letters and emails: asking the recipient to forward the message to others, Mr. Brookie said.The disinformation follows a familiar playbook used on other social media, old-fashioned chain letters and emails: asking the recipient to forward the message to others, Mr. Brookie said.
“It’s the latest version of that threat,” he said. “It’s not something that is new, but it is something that is effective.”“It’s the latest version of that threat,” he said. “It’s not something that is new, but it is something that is effective.”
It’s not immediately clear who was responsible for the mass text messages on Sunday, or any of the others, according to Mr. Brookie, who was an adviser at the council until 2017. Text messages are hard to track, because data about them, kept by companies like AT&T or Verizon, is not necessarily accessible to the public, he said.It’s not immediately clear who was responsible for the mass text messages on Sunday, or any of the others, according to Mr. Brookie, who was an adviser at the council until 2017. Text messages are hard to track, because data about them, kept by companies like AT&T or Verizon, is not necessarily accessible to the public, he said.
One of the few ways to track text messages is through crowdsourced reports on social media.One of the few ways to track text messages is through crowdsourced reports on social media.
“We don’t know where they are coming from, which is one of the main vulnerabilities here,” Mr. Brookie said. “It could be anything from your everyday scammer to a hostile nation-state.”“We don’t know where they are coming from, which is one of the main vulnerabilities here,” Mr. Brookie said. “It could be anything from your everyday scammer to a hostile nation-state.”
At an afternoon news conference on Monday, Mr. Trump said while regional lockdowns or quarantines may be possible, he was not considering a similar nationwide measure. Asked if the rumors were part of a foreign disinformation campaign, Mr. Trump said he could not say, adding that the media had been “very fair.”At an afternoon news conference on Monday, Mr. Trump said while regional lockdowns or quarantines may be possible, he was not considering a similar nationwide measure. Asked if the rumors were part of a foreign disinformation campaign, Mr. Trump said he could not say, adding that the media had been “very fair.”
“It could be that you have some foreign groups that are playing games, but it doesn’t matter,” he said.“It could be that you have some foreign groups that are playing games, but it doesn’t matter,” he said.
And not knowing where the messages are coming from also makes it harder to ascertain the goal of the messages. Because the messages are urging people to stockpile goods, the goal could be financial gain, Mr. Brookie said. Or it could be to stoke chaos and confusion across the country, he added.And not knowing where the messages are coming from also makes it harder to ascertain the goal of the messages. Because the messages are urging people to stockpile goods, the goal could be financial gain, Mr. Brookie said. Or it could be to stoke chaos and confusion across the country, he added.
Mr. Brookie said people receiving text messages about the coronavirus should verify the source of the message as well as the source’s source. He said people should check for biases in the message.Mr. Brookie said people receiving text messages about the coronavirus should verify the source of the message as well as the source’s source. He said people should check for biases in the message.
Updated June 30, 2020
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
“Does something feel like it’s trying to scare you?” he said. “Is it claiming it has all the facts while others don’t? Is it jumping to conclusions that you haven’t seen in other places? Is it using rhetorical tools in order to persuade you of something?”“Does something feel like it’s trying to scare you?” he said. “Is it claiming it has all the facts while others don’t? Is it jumping to conclusions that you haven’t seen in other places? Is it using rhetorical tools in order to persuade you of something?”
He added, “if it’s not pointing to the latest, verified science-based information, like coronavirus.gov, then absolutely think twice about it.”He added, “if it’s not pointing to the latest, verified science-based information, like coronavirus.gov, then absolutely think twice about it.”
The government also had the ability to text people directly through a warning system, if it chose to, he said.The government also had the ability to text people directly through a warning system, if it chose to, he said.
“There’s no indication that that system has been used in response to the coronavirus,” he said.“There’s no indication that that system has been used in response to the coronavirus,” he said.
Pay attention to what the official sources are telling you. “If it’s not coming from my mouth, don’t believe it,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday, trying to calm rumors.Pay attention to what the official sources are telling you. “If it’s not coming from my mouth, don’t believe it,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday, trying to calm rumors.
Public officials should play an active role in combating rumors and disinformation, he said.Public officials should play an active role in combating rumors and disinformation, he said.
Still, many have questioned how much official government channels can be trusted.Still, many have questioned how much official government channels can be trusted.
Mr. Trump has been criticized for playing down the outbreak in the early stages and repeatedly making assertions — including about the accessibility of tests — that were either overstated or inaccurate.Mr. Trump has been criticized for playing down the outbreak in the early stages and repeatedly making assertions — including about the accessibility of tests — that were either overstated or inaccurate.
Over all, trust in institutions is down, Mr. Brookie said.Over all, trust in institutions is down, Mr. Brookie said.
“We’re facing this challenge of disinformation about coronavirus already on a back foot because of diminished trust in our institutions,” he said.“We’re facing this challenge of disinformation about coronavirus already on a back foot because of diminished trust in our institutions,” he said.