Facebook announced that it is partnering with global health organizations to help them push out credible information about COVID-19 via Messenger.
The social media giant is launching a global program to connect government health organizations and the UN with developers to help them use Messenger to share timely and accurate information, and speed up their responses to concerned people.
“Our developer partners have offered to provide their services free of charge to these organizations during this crisis,” Facebook wrote in a statement.
The developers will help with things like automating responses to commonly asked questions, which Facebook says can take some of the burden off of overwhelmed staff.
Facebook notes that the developers can also show these organizations how to share updates with their audience most effectively, and how to transition from automated conversations to chatting with a live person when necessary.
So far, government health agencies in Argentina and Pakistan are using Messenger to ensure people have the latest information about COVID-19.
Further, Facebook is also inviting developers around the world to participate in an online hackathon leveraging Messenger to build messaging solutions that address COVID-19 issues, like social distancing and keeping people informed.
Source: Facebook
