Twitter is aggressively fact-checking tweets linking 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic by adding a label that promises to get users “the facts about COVID-19.”
Once you click the label, it takes you to a Twitter page titled “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus” that includes links to news reports, fact-checking organizations, and government agencies debunking the conspiracy theory.
Twitter confirmed the new measure in a statement given to Business Insider. The company said, “Last month, we announced that we are introducing new labels and warning messages to provide additional context and information on some Tweets containing disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.”
The spokesperson for the company added that Twitter would only weed tweets entirely when it contains “a call to action that could potentially cause harm” but “will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19.” This is in line with a policy update the company made back in April.
There are instances that Twitter appears to be applying the label out of an abundance of caution, even when a tweet does not explicitly say that 5G is causing the coronavirus.
Engadget cited one such tweet that says, “Hmmm today I will get the facts about 5G Corona” alongside a picture of a pair of stick figures has had the label applied. However, the tweet appears to be referencing the fact-checking label rather than promoting the conspiracy theory itself. Searching for “5G corona” on Twitter shows dozens of tweets that have had the label applied.
A Twitter spokesperson said, “Labeling or placing a warning on Tweets continues to be an iterative process.”
