In the war in #Ukraine, #Twitter is fighting back against #FakeNews, introducing a special warning label to alert and protect users from misleading content.
Twitter announced that it would begin placing special labels on misleading content related to the war in Ukraine and limit the spread of claims contradicted by humanitarian organisations or other credible sources.
The enhanced policy against misinformation surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked a new approach to how the platform would respond to misinformation during major crises.
Social media platforms are facing increasing scrutiny over how they identify, assess and handle misinformation.
The special warnings inform users that a tweet contains content covered by Twitter’s crisis misinformation policy, while still allowing them to view it after clicking through the warning. The platform will not amplify or recommend such tweets, while Likes, Retweets and Shares will also be disabled.
According to the head of safety Yoel Roth, this approach could be “a more effective way to intervene to prevent harm, while preserving speech and the record of critical global events.”
Priority would be given to labelling misleading tweets from high-profile accounts, including verified users, official government accounts and state-affiliated media. Priority would also be given to content that could potentially cause harm to people on the ground.
Twitter defined crises as situations involving a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health or basic subsistence. The policy initially focused on international armed conflicts, beginning with the war in Ukraine, but was designed to eventually cover other types of crises, including mass shootings and natural disasters. “While this first iteration is focused on international armed conflict, starting with the war in Ukraine, we plan to update and expand the policy to include additional forms of crisis,” Twitter said.
At the same time, the company was in the process of being acquired by billionaire Elon Musk, who had argued that Twitter should be a platform for freedom of speech. Musk had also spoken about lifting the “ban” imposed by Twitter on Donald Trump, describing the former U.S. president’s suspension as a “morally bad decision” and “extremely foolish.” He also argued that permanent account bans should be rare and reserved for accounts that are fraudulent or operated by automated bots.
