Twitter announced on Thursday a new policy that combats misinformation in times of an ensuing crisis, particularly setting new standards for gating and blocking the proliferation of tweets that contain misinformation.
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In this photo illustration, a phone screen displays the Twitter logo on a Twitter page background, in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2022.
Crisis Information Policy
Twitter has become a platform for people around the world to find information in real-time. Several news outfits have been doing live-tweeting breaking news ever since the social app gained large traction.
The bird app recognizes its role during periods of crisis, and as such, they are launching the "crisis information policy" to ensure access to "credible, authoritative, information and resources" during situations of public health crises, natural disasters, armed conflict, and many more.
The ultimate goal of this policy is to dispel viral information during crises and ensure that the app's algorithm is not recommending or promoting them. Crisis information policy will also augment the company's efforts of making reliable information more accessible, particularly through Twitter Moments.
However, it is worth noting that tweets containing misleading information will not necessarily be banned. But instead Twitter will include a warning label to notify users to click a button before the tweet can be displayed, which is similar to labels for explicit content.
"To reduce potential harm, as soon as we have evidence that a claim may be misleading, we won't amplify or recommend content that is covered by this policy across Twitter - including in the Home timeline, Search, and Explore," the company wrote in a blog post.
How The Warning Notice Works
According to the policy, once a tweet is determined to be misleading, it will not be deleted but it will have a warning notice as a precaution for users.
This means that false information proliferators could still share whatever they want since their tweets will not be taken down, however, they will face consequences from the bird app.
The reason why Twitter will be preserving these tweets is for "accountability purposes."
As of now, Twitter will be applying the policy on tweets about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The social app assured that the policy will also take effect for emerging crises as soon as possible.
What Will Happen if Musk Takes Over?
The new policy comes after Elon Musk's acquisition deal on Twitter is put on hold due to an ongoing bot investigation and after facing several issues since he announced his plan to take over the company.
Musk has laid out his plan to curtail moderation systems of the bird app for a maximalist ground for free speech, which prompted concerns from researchers and activist organizations. He has also faced backlash after insisting that Trump should be back on Twitter.
If Musk officially takes over the platform, will he end up favoring or disagreeing with the new policy?
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
