Vivo reveals 5 steps to avoid fake news on your mobile phone

Vivo wanted to help you to combat the spread of fake news during these trying times with 5 easy steps that you can do on your mobile phone.

Only follow verified and reliable sources (Most of them have check badges)

Fake, misleading news is bad

People are more glued to social media apps than at any other time due to the lockdown placed around the world. This opens an opportunity for fake news about the COVID-19 situation to spread rapidly.

Follow these 5 easy steps to be a responsible person by preventing the spread of fake news.

1. Don't share posts or news stories immediately - Read the whole post or article first, research the content and sources' credibility, then post.

Most people take these posts and news by the headline and don't actually fact check before sharing, Some people even share videos and news from a few years back.

2. Inconsistencies = Nope - An article that is full of inconsistencies is a big red flag and should not be shared.

Active reading and good reading comprehension will allow you to deduce the credibility of a story even without extensive fact-checking.

Exaggerated claims, biased statements, questionable facts, as well as grammatical errors are some of the red flags to watch out for.

3. Check out the source - Checking the original poster of the articles you read can be a great defense against fake news.

There are sources and websites that profit from spreading clickbait articles full of wrong information that prey on the reader's fear. Some even lead you to a virus-infected website.

4. Background check of source - Does the source or poster seem credible? If not, then you can easily check it out.

News update templates can be easily retouched in Photoshop or other photo editing apps. If it seems fishy for a news network to share the information, always check out the network's official social media pages.

5. Is it really worth sharing? - If you have done everything above then you will arrive at the moment where you need to decide if it is worth sharing the article.

Will it only cause more panic? Will it educate people? Will you help the current situation by sharing it? Think before sharing.

What do you guys think?