Twitter is testing new ways to fight misinformation — including a community-based points system
Twitter is experimenting with adding brightly colored labels directly beneath lies and misinformation posted by politicians and public figures, according to a leaked demo of new features sent to NBC News.
Twitter confirmed that the leaked demo, which was accessible on a publicly available site, is one possible iteration of a new policy to target misinformation. The company does not currently have a date for a rollout of any new misinformation features.
In this version, disinformation or misleading information posted by public figures will be corrected directly beneath the tweet by fact-checkers and journalists who are verified on the platform, and possibly other users who will participate in a new “community reports” feature, which the demo claims is “like Wikipedia.”
“We’re exploring a number of ways to address misinformation and provide more context for tweets on Twitter,” a Twitter spokesperson said. “Misinformation is a critical issue and we will be testing many different ways to address it.”
The demo features bright red and orange badges for tweets that have been deemed “harmfully misleading,” in nearly the same size as the tweet itself and prominently displayed directly below the tweet that contains the harmful misinformation.
Examples of misinformation included a false tweet about whistleblowers by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a tweet about gun background checks by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and a tweet by an unverified Twitter account posting a doctored video of House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
House Subcommittee Knocking at Amazon’s Door Over Ring Data
Lawmakers want answers from Amazon as civil liberties, privacy and surveillance concerns surrounding its Ring doorbell camera continue to mount.
In a letter to Amazon Feb. 19, Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, requested numerous documents and policies from the company, including how it partners with law enforcement agencies. The letter indicates the subcommittee is examining “traditional constitutional protections against surveilling Americans” and balancing civil liberties with security interests.
“The Subcommittee is seeking more information regarding why cities and law enforcement agencies enter into these agreements,” Krishnamoorthi said in the letter. “The answer appears to be that Ring gives them access to a much wider system of surveillance than they could build themselves, and Ring allows law enforcement access to a network of surveillance cameras on private property without the expense to taxpayers of having to purchase, install, and monitor those cameras.”
In 2019, Senate lawmakers voice similar concerns in a letter to Amazon Chief Executive Office Jeff Bezos when reports surfaced that Amazon Ring’s at-home camera systems were sharing information with police departments. At the time, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said such data sharing “could easily create a surveillance network that places dangerous burdens on people of color.”