How Big Tech is Taking on this Global Pandemic

Tech companies are finally taking steps to intervene to protect public health amidst the COVID-19 crisis. To deceive the masses with false information amid any kind of pandemic makes it even worse, and the big tech is getting aggressive to combat such growing COVID-19 hoaxes. COVID’s exponentially increasing curve has already left every industry numb and unable to anticipate what lies ahead. Coronavirus being a novel pandemic, it seems that things will turn ugly before they get better.

Battling an epidemic as serious as Coronavirus demands drastic responses, and leading tech platforms and tech leaders have turned to some of the most radical strategies available. They are trying to do their bit to lessen the repercussions of the looming crisis

While the tech leaders across the world are occupied in taking the relevant moves to dampen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, other companies have rolled out mandatory work from home for the welfare of their employees and the public in general.

Here is how some of the social media platforms and big tech companies are playing their part in curbing the COVID-19 menace.

• Facebook is getting into a partnership to launch a $1M USD grant program to aid fact-checkers in its COVID-19 initiative. The social networking giant has a network of over 55 independent fact-checking partners. Earlier, Facebook launched the Coronavirus Information Center which is listed on top of the Facebook News Feed to provide the latest real-time updates, news, and information on the pandemic.
• Alibaba co-founder has also released a statement sharing plans to donate 500,000 test kits and one million face masks. It will make similar donations across Japan and Europe, following the disturbing impact on China.
• In a bid to continue empowering the world, Google, and YouTube have launched novel resources – Teach from Home and Learn@Home to abet families and teachers educate students while they are home due to COVID-19.
• MasterClass has launched free live Q&A sessions with giants in their respective industries.
• IBM, Amazon, Google and Microsoft have partnered with White House to provide compute resources for COVID-19 research.

Recently, Bill Gates announced that Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has teamed up with Wellcome and Mastercard to fund treatments to the tune of $125 million. Facebook is committing $20 million in donations to augment the relief efforts, and Apple also announced $15 million in donations, in addition to letting customers skip the March payment on their Apple Cards without risking interest payments. The company has also donated millions of masks to healthcare workers across the US and Europe. Meanwhile, Verizon, AT&T, Charter, CenturyLink, Comcast, T-Mobile, Sprint and Cox, have decided not to overcharge, charge late fees or terminate service, in order to keep people connected.

The widespread Corona Virus has created an immediate need for companies to rethink work processes. PureSoftware has proactively responded to this call of the hour and is continuously taking the necessary steps required to keep employees safe while ensuring there is no downtime. By implementing remote working, PureSoftware is constantly emphasizing the dire need for social distancing to combat the spread of COVID19.