London, Europe Brief News – Twitter introduced a new policy aimed at making sure the social network doesn’t amplify or recommend disinformation during an international armed conflict and crisis.
Why it matters: False material proliferated on Twitter and other social networks in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Twitter says it will work to vet fact-specific information in times of crisis, via “multiple credible, publicly available sources.”
Inaccurate tweets won’t be removed, but instead will be put behind a warning label. They also will be unable to be liked, retweeted or shared.
What’s excluded, per Twitter: “Strong commentary, efforts to debunk or fact check, and personal anecdotes or first person accounts.”
Be smart: This content moderation effort, like many others at Twitter, could be totally or partially undone if Elon Musk buys the company.
Look ahead: Twitter says that while this initial policy is aimed at international armed conflict, it could later be expanded to include other forms of crisis.
The social media platform will no longer recommend and amplify tweets that have been identified as false. Users will also be unable to like, retweet or share content that violates the new “crisis misinformation” rules.
The change is part of a broader effort to promote accurate information during times of conflict or crisis, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The policy will focus on potentially dangerous misinformation about alleged war crimes, conflict narratives, “the use of weapons,” and humanitarian operations.
