A lot of the finest minds of the world have turned to COVID-19, information and electrical engineering and computer sciences professor Hany Farid says about the unprecedented galvanization of academia to help solve the global crisis. Professor Farid, an expert on deepfake imagery and online misinformation, has also switched gears to research the spread of misinformation and conspiracies related to the coronavirus. Noting that the problem is global, and that people are scared and turning to social media, he says that that provides the conditions for a perfect "s—storm." Referring to social media posts promoting dangerously bogus ideas about COVID-19 cures, he says: "This is why we have people drinking bleach thinking they're going to be cured. ... We need to undo the stupidity that's out there." To that end, he developed a survey last week, asking some 500 people to read 40 COVID-19-related headlines, of which half were true and half were not, and report if they had seen the headlines, believed them, or knew someone who would believe them. About 15% of the respondents said they knew someone who would believe the gargling bleach cure is valid, according to preliminary results. "That's shocking," he says. "Now the question is what's next." Answering that call, he's developing early detection systems to spot online misinformation campaigns and flag them for social media companies.