Birdwatch: New Twitter feature allows users to flag misinformation
Twitter will allow users to flag posts that are misleading or inaccurate in its latest effort to purge misinformation from its platform.
The new feature, dubbed Birdwatch, allows people to write notes providing context and rebuttals on posts they believe are misleading.
The pilot programme is being tested in the US, with notes initially only visible on a separate Birdwatch website, where other participants can rate their helpfulness.
Twitter said it hoped to have as many as 100,000 participants in the trial, who will be admitted on a rolling basis and will not be paid.
“We apply labels and add context to Tweets, but we don’t want to limit efforts to circumstances where something breaks our rules or receives widespread public attention,” said Keith Coleman, Twitter’s vice president of product.
“We also want to broaden the range of voices that are part of tackling this problem, and we believe a community-driven approach can help.”
The new crowd-sourcing feature comes amid renewed calls for Twitter and other social media sites to crack down on misinformation.
Twitter last year started adding labels and warnings to posts on its site, including about the Covid-19 pandemic and the US election.
Earlier this month both Twitter and Facebook blocked Donald Trump amid accusations his posts incited violence and fuelled the storming of the Capitol.
The incident has reignited concerns about the spread of misinformation online, as well as the political power of the tech giants.
Regulators in the UK and EU are preparing new rules that will enforce fines on social media companies if they fail to tackle harmful content posted to their platforms.