Samuel Case, FISM News
Twitter on Thursday announced a new misinformation policy aimed at cracking down on inaccurate information during times of crisis, such as the Russia-Ukraine war.
“People turn to Twitter during crisis times to share news, find support, and stay connected. Today, we’re launching a crisis misinformation policy so Twitter doesn’t recommend or amplify viral, false content that can further harm already vulnerable groups,” the Twitter Safety account said announcing the policy.
People turn to Twitter during crisis times to share news, find support, and stay connected. Today, we’re launching a crisis misinformation policy so Twitter doesn’t recommend or amplify viral, false content that can further harm already vulnerable groups.https://t.co/NyhoGo5RQU
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) May 19, 2022
The company defines a crisis as “any situation in which there is a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health, or basic subsistence that is beyond the coping capacity of individuals and the communities in which they reside.”
Under this new “crisis misinformation policy,” Twitter will now place warning labels on posts it regards as misleading concerning the war in Ukraine. Twitter will also temporarily reduce the visibility of posts or accounts it believes “with high confidence to be in violation of the crisis misinformation policy.”
“We have seen both sides share information that may be misleading and/or deceptive,” Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, told reporters, referring to both Russian and Ukrainian propaganda. “Our policy doesn’t draw a distinction between the different combatants. Instead, we’re focusing on misinformation that could be dangerous, regardless of where it comes from.”
Twitter says that strong commentary, opinions, and/or satire, information seeking, debunking or fact-checking, news reporting, and personal anecdotes or first-person accounts “are generally not violative of the policy.”
Elon Musk, who is in the process of purchasing Twitter and who has been an outspoken critic of the company’s censorious tendencies, has yet to comment on the new policy.