A Tokyo-based risk management firm is cautioning against a potential surge in coronavirus-related disinformation on April Fools* Day, alarmed by the recent spread of what it perceives to be baseless rumors on social media that the government is secretly preparing for the start of a Tokyo lockdown that day.

Unsubstantiated rumors pertaining to COVID-19 have been swirling online for months, but gossip with a more urgent tone and more fear-mongering in nature has emerged in recent days, making digital literacy against false rumors more important than ever, according to Tokyo-based Spectee Inc.

The firm says it uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to monitor, collect and analyze the deluge of online information.