Twitter is working on “Birdwatch;” a new experimental tool to fight fake news

Image Credit: NYTIMES

Twitter has announced that it is working on a new experimental tool to help in the fight against fake news. Birdwatch is the latest in the company’s attempt at ridding its platform of misinformation. The social media giant will hope this tool works; though, it acknowledges the fact that more still needs to be done.

Social media commentator Matt Navarra had tweeted about Birdwatch on Friday before the company confirmed it was actually working on the tool. Confirming the feature to TechCrunch, Twitter had this to say:

“We’re exploring a number of ways to address misinformation and provide more context for tweets on Twitter,” a Twitter spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Misinformation is a critical issue and we will be testing many different ways to address it,” they added.

Reliable tipster Jane Manchun Wong who had earlier tweeted about the feature in the summer, has now posted more updates about Birdwatch today. Jane’s latest screenshot provided more description of what the tool is all about.

Birdwatch, according to Navarra, allows you to attach notes to a tweet. These notes can be viewed when you click on the binoculars button on the tweet itself. What this means in essence, is that additional context about the statements made in your tweet would be open to the public. 

The social networking giant said tweets that openly hope for the death of Trump on its platform “will have to be removed.” As a matter of fact, Twitter vssid such accounts will be put on a “read only” mode. 

When Motherboard asked Twitter how tightly it plans to enforce this policy with regard to President Trump, the company said enforcement action will not be taken on every tweet “We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm.” 

In July, Twitter suspended the account of the US President’s son Donald Trump Jr. The social media giant said he violated rules for sharing a Breitbart video misinforming about a COVID-19 cure. 

The tweet in question showed a group called America’s Frontline Doctors in a press conference. In the video, the doctors said antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID-19. These alleged doctors wearing lab coats informed viewers not to wear face masks. President Trump reshared the post before Twitter removed them. 

Trump has been resharing several other posts claiming the drug as an effective cure for COVID-19. This claim however, contradicts the official advice from the FDA

Author: Ola Ric

Ola Ric is a professional tech writer. He has written and provided tons of published articles for professionals and private individuals. He is also a social commentator and analyst, with relevant experience in the use of social media services.

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