Twitter announced on Monday that it will start alerting users when a tweet makes misleading claims about the coronavirus.
The new rule is the latest in a wave of stricter policies that tech companies are rolling out to confront an outbreak of virus-related misinformation on their sites. Facebook and Google, which owns YouTube, have already put similar systems in place.
The announcement signals that Twitter is taking its role in amplifying misinformation more seriously.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of site integrity, acknowledged says: “We will not be able to take enforcement action on every tweet with incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19.”
Roth added that the platform has historically applied a “lighter touch” when enforcing similar policies on misleading tweets but said the company is working to improve the technology around the labels.
Under the newest COVID-19 rules, Twitter will decide which tweets are labeled — only taking down posts if they are harmful.
Some of the questionable tweets will run with a label underneath that directs users to a link with additional information about COVID-19.
Other tweets might be covered entirely by a warning label alerting users that “some or all of the content shared in this tweet conflict with guidance from public health experts regarding COVID-19.”
Twitter won’t directly fact check or call tweets false on the site, said Nick Pickles, the company’s global senior strategist for public policy. The warning labels might send users to curated tweets, public health websites, or news articles.
“People don’t want us to play the role of deciding for them what’s true and what’s not true but they do want people to play a much stronger role providing context,” Pickles said.
The notices, which could start appearing as soon as today, could also apply retroactively to past tweets.
Twitter will continue to take down COVID-19 tweets that pose a threat to the safety of a person or group, along with attempts to incite mass violence or widespread civil unrest.
The company has been removing bogus coronavirus cures and claims that social distancing or face masks do not curb the virus’ spread for several weeks.
