Twitter announced Monday that it would begin adding labels to some tweets that may contain misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the company's blog post on Monday, the new label is aimed at combating the spread of misinformation on social media about COVID-19. The company won't necessary take down more tweets, but users who wish to see the labeled tweets may have to click an extra time.
"During active conversations about disputed issues, it can be helpful to see additional context from trusted sources. Earlier this year, we introduced a new label for Tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media. Similar labels will now appear on Tweets containing potentially harmful, misleading information related to COVID-19. This will also apply to Tweets sent before today," the company wrote in the blog post Monday.
The labels will link to a Twitter-curated page that includes trusted sources that contain additional information about COVID-19, the company states. Users may also be provided context from trusted sources such as the World Health Organization.
The company said the label would be applied based on three broad categories:
- Misleading information — statements or assertions that have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter experts, such as public health authorities.
- Disputed claims — statements or assertions in which the accuracy, truthfulness, or credibility of the claim is contested or unknown.
- Unverified claims — information (which could be true or false) that is unconfirmed at the time it is shared.
Twitter said it would be removing tweets using their own internal systems as well as working with outside experts on how to find misinformation that may be spreading across the platform.
"We will continue to introduce new labels to provide context around different types of unverified claims and rumors as needed," Twitter states.
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