Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Twitter said Friday it would be making a slew of significant new product and enforcement changes to help clamp down on misinformation leading up to the election.

Why it matters: It's the most aggressive set of changes that Twitter has rolled out to date to curb election-related misinformation on its platform.

Details: Twitter said that beginning next week, it would officially take action on tweets that claim an election win before it's authoritatively called.

  • Twitter will require either an announcement from state election officials, or a public projection from at least two authoritative, national news outlets that make independent calls.
  • Tweets that include premature claims will be labeled and will direct users to Twitter's official U.S. election page, the tech giant said.
  • Tweets meant to incite interference with the election process or with the implementation of election results — such as through violent action —will be subject to removal.

The tech giant will also be labeling more tweets.

  • Beginning next week, it will prompt users to seek credible information about a topic if they try to retweet a tweet with a misleading information label on it.
  • In addition to those prompts, it will add additional warnings and restrictions on tweets with a misleading information label from U.S. political figures, and U.S.-based accounts with more than 100,000 followers, or accounts that have significant engagement. Users will have to tap through a warning to see those tweets.
  • Users will only be able to quote tweet those tweets. Likes, retweets and replies will be turned off, and these tweets won’t be algorithmically recommended by Twitter.

Between the lines: The tech giant is also rolling out three new updates on October 20 to make sure misinformation about results won't spread. These updates are temporary, but do to the unusual nature of the election, Twitter says it doesn't know yet when these changes will be lifted.

  1. Twitter says it will encourage people to add their own commentary to retweets, via a "quote tweet" prior to amplifying content. This has been something that the firm has openly discussed tested for some time.
  2. It will prevent “liked by” and “followed by” recommendations from people that users don’t follow from showing up in their timeline. Twitter says it won't send notifications for these tweets to ensure that people don't pile onto conversations going viral. They hope this will curb misinformation from spreading.
  3. Twitter says it will only surface trends in the “For You” tab in the United States that includes additional context, meaning it will include a description tweet or article "that represents or summarizes why that term is trending."

The big picture: Twitter has been credited for taken swift and more decisive action on political misinformation this cycle than last. Most notably, the tech giant announced last year that it would ban political advertising, a move that was followed by major political advertising changes by some of its peers.

Go deeper

Oct 23, 2020 - Technology

Zuckerberg, Dorsey testifying at Senate Judiciary after election

Photo: Mandel Ngan/Pool via Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 17, the panel announced Friday.

The big picture Conservatives are angry that Twitter and Facebook made moves to limit the spread of the New York Post's controversial Hunter Biden coverage, and authorized subpoenas for their testimony this week.

Pence to continue traveling despite aides testing positive for COVID-19

Marc Short with Pence in March. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday and is quarantining, according to a White House statement.

Why it matters: Short is Pence's closest aide, and was one of the most powerful forces on the White House coronavirus task force. Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for the virus on Sunday morning, according to the vice president's office.

AOC: "Extremely important" that Biden offer Bernie Sanders a Cabinet position

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that she believes it's "extremely important" that Joe Biden offer Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive leaders Cabinet positions if he's elected president.

The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez was pressed repeatedly on policy differences between her and the more moderate Biden, including her opposition to fracking and support for Medicare for All. She responded that it would be a "privilege" and a "luxury" to be able to lobby a Biden administration on progressive issues, insisting that the focus right now should be on winning the White House.
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