Twitter launches labels, warnings on misleading Covid-19 information
Twitter will begin to add warning messages and labels on tweets spreading disputed or misleading information about Covid-19, the company said on Monday.
The move is part of a new approach to misinformation that will eventually extend to other topics.
The company said that depending on the propensity for harm and misleading information in the tweet; warnings may also be added to say the tweet conflicts with guidance from public health experts before a user views it.
Twitter said these labels, which will look similar to ones launched to flag synthetic and manipulated media, will also apply to tweets that have been sent before Twitter’s announcement and will be used regardless of who sent the tweet.
The information you see on Twitter should be accurate and reliable. That's why we're expanding our use of Tweet labels and warnings to address misleading information. Here’s more on how and when we decide to use them: https://t.co/XolohhJ5qf
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 11, 2020
This comes as social media companies, such as Facebook and YouTube, are under pressure to combat misinformation that has spread on their platforms about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Such false claims have ranged from bogus cures to misinformation linking the virus with conspiracy theories about high-profile figures such as Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates or about 5G mobile phone technology.