In a rare move, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and other tech giants are working together to help developers combat the coronavirus pandemic with technology

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

The Facebook office in New York in 2011.

• Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter, among others, are contributing resources toward a hackathon for building tech products that address coronavirus-related issues.
• Developers can build any technology of their choosing, but the World Health Organization provided some examples of areas where help is needed the most.
• Those examples include technologies that can help support medical workers as well as those that can protect vulnerable populations.
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Tech giants such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter are all contributing to a hackathon project that encourages developers to build technology that addresses challenges and issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Online hackathon provider Devpost is hosting the initiative.

Participants can build any technology of their choice, but the World Health Organization worked with Devpost to provide some areas where help is needed the most.

These include focusing on heath initiatives, like technologies that can help support medical workers or scale telemedicine, help vulnerable populations like the elderly stay safe, working on remote learning environments that teachers and schools can use, and promoting social connections as people remain socially isolated.

Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Giphy, TikTok, Pinterest, Slack, and WeChat will be contributing resources to support developers looking to participate. In addition to WHO, scientists at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub are also partnering with Devpost on the project.

It's rare for major technology firms that often compete with one another to work together on a common project, although they sometimes collaborate to encourage the adoption of new technology standards across the industry.

In addition to providing resources for the global hackathon, many of these companies are also leveraging their own products and platforms to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook, for example, is providing free services to government health organizations and UN agencies looking to use its Messenger service as a tool to spread accurate and helpful information about COVID-19. Argentina's Ministry of Health is using this tool, according to Facebook.

As it relates to the hackathon, Facebook is providing educational materials and Facebook Live tutorials to developers looking to participate.

The deadline to submit projects is March 30, with the highlighted selections being announced on April 3.

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