We learned this week that Facebook will stop removing user posts claiming that COVID-19 was man-made in a lab after, as Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler put it, “the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible.”
We’re already sick of Twitter labeling every tweet about COVID-19 with a “Get the facts” link, but now Gizmodo is reporting that Twitter is working on not one but three labels to add to tweets: “Get the latest,” “Stay Informed,” and “Misleading.”
Twitter May Start Labeling Your Tweets Based on How Wrong You Are https://t.co/52Zn8tY2xy pic.twitter.com/GqUB5dWCKs
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) May 31, 2021
Twitter is working on three levels of misinformation warning labels:
“Get the latest”, “Stay Informed” and “Misleading” pic.twitter.com/0RdmMsRAEk
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 31, 2021
So far, there are three levels of misinformation warning labels: “Get the latest,” “Stay Informed,” and “Misleading,” [app researcher Jane Manchun] Wong tweeted on Monday. How accurate a tweet is determines if Twitter’s systems tack on one of these three labels, each of which includes a prompt directing users to additional information. Ostensibly, these would link to a Twitter-curated page or external vetted source, as is the case for Twitter’s covid-19 and U.S. presidential election misinformation labels.
…
It’s unclear when this feature would launch—if it ever sees the light of day, that is—and whether there’d be consequences for users caught repeatedly posting misinformation. Twitter did not immediately reply to Gizmodo’s request for comment on Monday, but we’ll update this blog if we hear back.
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Wong said she discovered the labels while reverse-engineering the latest version of Twitter.
It's like every week they try to figure out a new way to make this site worse & drive away users.
— 🌺Ethel Cross🌺 (@_Ethel_Cross_) May 31, 2021
Sarcasm dies a swift cold death at the hands @Twitter.
— Killroy™ (@KillroyWasHere) May 31, 2021
The blue checkmark already does that
— Sir Caramel (@sir_caramel) May 31, 2021
Twitter just suspended me for mocking an anti-vaxxer so I’m sure this will be fine https://t.co/FrLmCqNqKU
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) May 31, 2021
I'm sure it's gonna be completely fair, accurate, and unbiased.
— Clayton Paul (@CPaul48) May 31, 2021
https://twitter.com/pauledevans/status/1399482193861296128
Does Twitter know everything?
— rajeev bhatia (@RajeevBhatia416) May 31, 2021
The question is, will this only apply to accounts with 6 followers, or will it also apply to verified and journalist/media accounts, i.e., the accounts capable of doing the most harm with misinformation?
— bloop. (@MeatGoblet) May 31, 2021
Remember when people were getting banned from social media for discussing the lab leak theory?
— Revolver "Shalashaska" Ocelot (@trentstrong401) May 31, 2021
Like it was yesterday.
Will we be able to report tweets as misinformation (i.e. at times when it doesn't directly fall into the existing harassment / abuse / fake categories)?
— David Eccles (Māo/32) (@gringene_bio) May 31, 2021
Twitter‘s @birdwatch aims to achieve that goal https://t.co/qZ8GlKovhg
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 31, 2021
Oh yeah, @birdwatch. We’d forgotten that even existed. That was the one where users could alert Twitter to misinformation, such as Hillary Clinton’s claim just this week that an angry mob killed a policeman on January 6. That one still doesn’t have a “misleading” label, though.
Related:
Your move, Twitter! Citizen fact-checkers are using Birdwatch to call out AOC for accusing Ted Cruz of attempted murder https://t.co/oas8YqDeZI
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 28, 2021
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