Twitter has introduced new labels and warning messages on Tweets containing disputed or misleading information related to the covid-19 virus. The company brought out a new guidance in March on how it wanted to provide correct information about the virus, from authoritative sources of global and local public health information. It also labeled false or manipulated media. It will now use labels and warning messages to give additional explanation or clarification where people could still be confused or misled by incorrect content. The idea is to make it easier to find facts and make informed decisions about what people see on Twitter. The new policy will also apply to Tweets sent before 11 May.
Some Tweets may now come with warnings, telling people that the information in their message conflicts with public health experts’ guidance, before they view it. Twitter will focus on three broad categories, namely, misleading information, disputed claims and unverified claims. It will do this through different internal systems that will proactively monitor content related to the coronavirus. These systems will help ensure the company is not amplifying Tweets with warnings or labels and that it can detect high-visibility content quickly.
