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“The COVID-19 pandemic was the first pandemic in history in which social media was used.” This is the observation made by Dr Sylvie C. Briand, when looking at how the general public has been informed since the first case of coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China, on December 1, 2019. Director of the Department of Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO), she spoke on November 24, 2020 at the conference “Quand l’infodémie santé s’invite dans le débat” (When the health infodemic enters the debate). Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram . . . all the social media sites played a part. Their usage broke records in France during the first lockdown. On its face, Dr Briand sees this as a step forward: new technologies allow us to access information instantaneously and continuously from anywhere in the world, which is progress. It is also a step forward to be able to inform in real time and allow everyone to protect themselves and be safe in the face of a health hazard. Living with a smartphone means having a news agency in your pocket. But there is a flip side to the coin. These tools that allow us to be connected to everyone, to everything, everywhere, all the time, are also those that deliver misinformation and other conspiracy theories.