Twitter is experimenting with adding colored labels to misinformation posted by politicians and public figures.
The social network this week confirmed that a leaked demo of new features, first reported by NBC News, is “one possible iteration” of a system for targeting fake news.
“We’re exploring a number of ways to address misinformation and provide more context for tweets on Twitter,” a spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News. “Misinformation is a critical issue and we will be testing many different ways to address it.”
This particular way uses bright orange boxes to highlight posts that are deemed “harmfully misleading.”
Examples include a tweet by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) about gun background checks, a false statement about the Coronavirus from a verified account, and a declaration about whistleblowers by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Visibility of these flagged tweets will be reduced, Twitter warned.
This leaked demo highlights posts deemed ‘harmfully misleading’ (via Twitter/NBC News)
But, as an added precaution, they may also be corrected by fact checkers and journalists verified on the platform; users can participate via a “Community Notes” feature.
Twitter did not immediately respond to Geek’s request for comment.
The firm, however, reiterated to NBC News that the community reporting feature is “one of several possibilities that may be rolled out in the next several weeks.”
“This is a design mock-up for one option that would involve community feedback,” a spokesperson said.
In preparation for this year’s U.S. presidential election, the platform has already revived Election Labels—tags marked with a ballot box icon—to provide additional information about candidates.
It is also cracking down on synthetic and manipulated photos and video, recently updating its rules regarding “misleading” content—i.e. deepfakes. The labeling of tweets with this type of media begins on March 5.
More on Geek.com:
- Jack Dorsey: Twitter Will ‘Probably Never’ Get Edit Button
- Twitter Tests Reply-Limiting Feature to Curb Bullying
- #ThisHappened on Twitter in 2019
from Geek.com https://ift.tt/3bYq6NV
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment