Data from the Twitter Birdwatch program shows that the hardest challenge that the platform is still facing is the fight against COVID misinformation. The data showed that users regularly discuss misinformation topics, especially regarding the pandemic response.
COVID Misinformation Remains an Issue for the Twitter Birdwatch Program as Per Data
Although it has been years since the COVID pandemic broke out, misinformation remains to spread, and as for the Twitter Birdwarch program, this remains one of their largest struggles. Misinformation regarding COVID can be hard to track and correct since multiple online theories exist.
Since these conspiracy theories have grown, more and more content has been created supporting other theories that might otherwise still be tagged as misinformation. This has made it much harder for researchers to track where the misinformation is being shared and how to combat it.
Different Platforms are Already Ramping Up Their Efforts to Fight Against COVID Misinformation
While different platforms like Facebook and even Google have already shared how they are doing their part in the fight against misinformation, the Twitter Birdwarch program shows that COVID misinformation remains its biggest challenge.
According to the story by The Verge, the Twitter Birdwatch community moderation program will now be available to all users in the US. The decision was made on October 6, and since then, it has struggled to deal with COVID misinformation.
Launch of the Twitter Birdwatch Program Through Beta Mode Happened in January 2021
The expansion will reportedly be a large part of the Birdwatch program ever since its official launch through a beta mode in January 2021. The move was made to reduce the spread of misinformation, but as data shows, a lot of the fact-checked topics should already be covered by the misinformation policies of Twitter.
Due to the topics already being included in the misinformation policies, the article by The Verge noted that this raises new questions regarding the program's overall impact and effectiveness. If the topics were already included in the misinformation policies, they should have been dealt with immediately by Twitter.
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Data Shows that the Top Three Topics the Twitter Birdwatch Program Deals With Revolves Around COVID
Birdwatch promises that it will decentralize the fact-checking misinformation process. Instead of the power being given to the company, they will allow the power to be in the hands of the community to check which information is right or wrong.
Fact-checking spreads through a wide range of topics that, include trivial and easily debunked rumors to harder and more complex claims that need a touch of scientific processes for the truth to be narrowed down.
As per the data, it was shown that the highest frequency of subjects being tackled by the Birdwatch program includes COVID-related topics. The top three topics being tackled by the program include COVID, prediction, and vaccines.
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Written by Urian B.
