Voice of America
20 May 2022, 02:07 GMT+10
SAN FRANCISCO - Twitter is stepping up its fight against misinformation with a new policy cracking down on posts that spread potentially dangerous false stories. The change is part of a broader effort to promote accurate information during times of conflict or crisis.
Starting Thursday, the platform will no longer automatically recommend or emphasize posts that make misleading claims about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including material that mischaracterizes conditions in conflict zones or makes false allegations of war crimes or atrocities against civilians.
Under its new 'crisis misinformation policy,' Twitter will also add warning labels to debunked claims about ongoing humanitarian crises, the San Francisco-based company said. Users won't be able to like, forward or respond to posts that violate the new rules.
The changes make Twitter the latest social platform to grapple with the misinformation, propaganda and rumors that have proliferated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. That misinformation ranges from rumors spread by well-intentioned users to Kremlin propaganda amplified by Russian diplomats or fake accounts and networks linked to Russian intelligence.
'We have seen both sides share information that may be misleading and/or deceptive,' said Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of safety and integrity, who detailed the new policy for reporters. '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.'
The new policy will complement existing Twitter rules that prohibit digitally manipulated media, false claims about elections and voting, and health misinformation, including debunked claims about COVID-19 and vaccines.
But it could also clash with the views of Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who has agreed to pay $44 billion to acquire Twitter with the aim of making it a haven for free speech. Musk hasn't addressed many instances of what that would mean in practice, although he has said that Twitter should only take down posts that violate the law, which taken literally would prevent action against most misinformation, personal attacks and harassment. He has also criticized the algorithms used by Twitter and other social platforms to recommend particular posts to individuals.
The policy was written broadly to cover misinformation during other conflicts, natural disasters, humanitarian crises or 'any situation where there's a widespread threat to health and safety,' Roth said.
Twitter said it will rely on a variety of credible sources to determine when a post is misleading. Those sources will include humanitarian groups, conflict monitors and journalists.
A senior Ukrainian cybersecurity official, Victor Zhora, welcomed Twitter's new screening policy and said that it's up to the global community to 'find proper approaches to prevent the sowing of misinformation across social networks.'
While the results have been mixed, Twitter's efforts to address misinformation about the Ukraine conflict exceed those of other platforms that have chosen a more hands-off approach, like Telegram, which is popular in Eastern Europe.
Asked specifically about the Telegram platform, where Russian government disinformation is rampant but Ukraine's leaders also reach a wide audience, Zhora said the question was 'tricky but very important.' That's because the kind of misinformation disseminated without constraint on Telegram 'to some extent led to this war.'
Since the Russian invasion began in February, social media platforms like Twitter and Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, have tried to address a rise in war-related misinformation by labeling posts from Russian state-controlled media and diplomats. They've also de-emphasized some material so it no longer turns up in searches or automatic recommendations.
Emerson Brooking, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab and expert on social media and disinformation, said that the conflict in Ukraine shows how easily misinformation can spread online during a conflict and the need for platforms to respond.
'This is a conflict that has played out on the internet, and one that has driven extraordinarily rapid changes in tech policy,' he said.
Get a daily dose of Iran Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iran Herald.
More InformationREDMOND, Washington: Artificial intelligence is transforming Microsoft's bottom line. The company saved over US$500 million last year...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: Saudi Aramco is exploring asset sales as part of a broader push to unlock capital, with gas-fired power plants among...
The Hague [Netherlands] July 12 (ANI/WAM): JA UAE delegation led by Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and...
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Tomy Thomas, husband of Nimisha Priya, the 37-year-old Indian nurse from Kerala who faces execution...
Tel Aviv [Israel], July 12 (ANI): Gaza has become the graveyard of children and starving people, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said,...
(Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images) A pair of best-of-three tiebreakers helped determine the final order of Groups C and D...