Twitter announced the launch of a new “crisis information policy,” to prevent the spread of so-called misinformation during a crisis such as “armed conflict, public health emergencies, and large-scale natural disasters.”
The social media platform said the new warning labels will prevent the recommendation of “viral, false content that can further harm already vulnerable groups.”
If a tweet violates the crisis misinformation policy, the platform won’t automatically delete it, it will however, put a “warning notice” over any “highly visible misleading tweets.”
According to Twitter, people rush to break news during emergencies, creating false reports that spread rapidly.
“To reduce potential harm, as soon as we have evidence that a claim may be misleading, we won’t amplify or recommend content that is covered by this policy across Twitter – including in the Home timeline, Search, and Explore.”
Even high-profile, verified user such as government and state-affiliated accounts will be flagged if the platform deems it as “misinformation.”
Seems far too familiar to something else the Biden administration just tried to create.
Meanwhile, Twitter defined “crisis” as pursuant to “the United Nations’ definition.”
“We define crises as situations in which there is a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health, or basic subsistence…this definition is consistent with the United Nations’ definition of a humanitarian crisis and other humanitarian assessments."
This comes as billionaire Elon Musk claims that almost half of Joe Biden's twitter followers are bots, and said his $44 billion deal to purchase the social media company could not go ahead until the issue with the fake accounts was resolved.