The explosion of armchair virologists during the coronavirus pandemic has once again put the spotlight back on the social media giants. Half truths, outright lies and disingenuous comparisons sweeping through social media platforms are fuelling fear and panic. And it’s big business. The threat of fake news was outlined again this week with the latest figures from the Global Disinformation Index showing that Europe’s leading disinformation websites are continuing to cash in on fake news on Google (including peddling falsehoods on coronavirus) to the tune of £63m ($75m) a year.