Twitter Moves To Head Off Midterm Election Misinformation

Cybersecurity Twitter Moves To Head Off Midterm Election Misinformation Emma Woollacott Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Aug 12, 2022, 05:34am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Twitter splash page (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

All rights reserved Twitter has unveiled its plans for countering misinformation in the run-up to the US midterm elections – and already people are crying foul. The company says its ‘activating’ its Civic Integrity Policy, which covers misleading information on topics such as how to vote, content intended to intimidate or dissuade people from taking part in the election, and misleading claims intended to undermine public confidence in an election. Such posts may be labeled, and won’t be recommended or amplified.

This appears to have been a successful tactic in the past, with a test of labels last year seeing replies to misinformation falling by 13 per cent, while retweets dropped by 15 per cent and likes by 10 per cent. Other measures include the introduction of state-specific event hubs featuring real-time election information from state election officials, plus local news outlets and journalists. Twitter says it will add an additional, nationally focused Event page, available to everyone in the US, soon.

Also new is a dedicated Explore tab that will include reputable ational news in both English and Spanish, localized news and resources by state and voter education public service announcements. Candidate account labels, introduced in May, will continue to be used, and, says Twitter, there’s extra help for government officials, candidates for office and journalists to protect their accounts. Recommended For You 1 iOS 15: Apple Issues 22 Important iPhone Security Updates More stories like this Fewer stories like this 2 Widely-Used Hikvision Security Cameras Vulnerable To Remote Hijacking More stories like this Fewer stories like this 3 iOS 15 Is Available Now With These Stunning New iPhone Privacy Features More stories like this Fewer stories like this More controversially, though, Twitter is reintroducing a feature first used in 2020.

“We’re also bringing back prebunks — in English, Spanish, and all other languages supported on Twitter — to get ahead of misleading narratives on Twitter, and to proactively address topics that may be the subject of misinformation,” the company explains in a blog post . “Over the coming months, we’ll place prompts directly on people’s timelines in the US and in Search when people type related terms, phrases, or hashtags. ” However, the company is already receiving pushback.

Rival social media site Gettr – founded by former Trump advisor Jason Miller, and beloved of the US right – has put out a statement criticizing the move. “These disturbing new policies deliver a huge blow to democracy and free speech rights, not just in America, but around the world,” says Miller. “We must not become numb to this kind of ideologically-motivated censorship which is a naked attempt from Twitter’s liberal executives to control the outcome of elections and the democratic process.

” Meanwhile, users on Twitter itself, as well as other platforms, are claiming election interference and even threatening class action lawsuits. Twitter’s move to prevent misinformation seems likely to spawn more conspiracy theories than ever. Follow me on Twitter .

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