Twitter Continues Its Birdwatch Disinformation-Checking Experiment

Twitter is rolling out an expansion of its community fact-checking experiment, Birdwatch, which allows users to flag tweets they believe are misleading. The expansion will include a new interface on the Twitter website, where users will be able to see Birdwatch notes next to tweets, as well as a dedicated page that will show all the currently active Birdwatch notes.

The idea behind Birdwatch is that by crowd-sourcing fact-checking, Twitter can help to combat the spread of misinformation on its platform. The company has been testing the program with a small group of users since January and says it will now be opening it up to a wider group. Twitter says it will continue to work on the program and make improvements based on feedback. The company is also clear that Birdwatch notes are not an endorsement from Twitter and says it will be transparent about the origins of the notes.

The expansion of Birdwatch comes as Twitter is under pressure to do more to combat misinformation on its platform. The company has been criticized for its handling of false and misleading tweets from politicians and has been accused of amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation. Twitter has taken some steps to address these concerns, such as labeling false tweets and suspending accounts that repeatedly share misinformation. However, it has resisted calls to remove such content entirely, arguing that doing so would violate users' free speech rights.

The new launch of Birdwatch is likely to reignite the debate about Twitter's role in combating misinformation. Critics will argue that the program is prone to abuse and that it gives too much power to Twitter users to decide what is true and what is not. Supporters will argue that it is a necessary step to combat the spread of misinformation and that it is a more transparent and effective way to do so than Twitter's current approach.

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• Ava Martinez 05 Sep 2022