Twitter is reportedly implementing a “crisis misinformation” plan that would hide misleading or false tweets posted by high-profile accounts. The social media platform hopes that implementing such policies will prevent the spread of misinformation throughout social media.
Under this new policy, Twitter will begin by identifying a tweet from a high-profile account that may be misleading or false. After identifying a post that fits this criteria, the social media platform will look to credible, public sources to either confirm or deny the tweet. If the tweet is classified as misleading or false, Twitter will put a warning notice on the tweet and turn off the ability for other users to retweet or like the post. Moreover, the tweet will no longer appear on the search or explore pages. However, the tweet will remain online for “accountability purposes.”
“Our approach to mitigating the effects of harmful misinformation continues to move beyond the leave-up/take-down binary of moderation,” Yoel Roth, Head of Safety and Integrity at Twitter, commented.
“We’ve seen that not amplifying harmful content can reduce its spread by 30-50%. We’ll continue to invest in these interventions going forward.”
While Twitter may have rolled out this policy, tech insiders are unsure how effective it will be. Adding on, Twitter’s potential owner, Elon Musk, has expressed that he would like the social media to be more lenient on matters of restriction.
“These policies are never 100% effective, and much content that violates guidelines escapes detection anyway,” Amanda Silberling of Tech Crunch stated.
“So while these policies might be well intentioned, they can only function as effectively as they’re enforced.”
People turn to Twitter during crisis times to share news, find support, and stay connected. Today, we’re launching a crisis misinformation policy so Twitter doesn’t recommend or amplify viral, false content that can further harm already vulnerable groups.https://t.co/NyhoGo5RQU
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) May 19, 2022
