Twitter announced a major set of tags how its platform would work Friday as the social network prepares for the most controversial, uncertain and potentially high-risk elections in modern U.S. history.
In what will likely be the most noticeable change, Twitter will try a new tactic to discourage users from retweeting posts without adding their own comment. Starting October 20 in a "global" shift, the platform will invite anyone who wants to retweet something to share a quote tweet instead. The change will remain in effect until the "end of election week", when Twitter decides whether the change should last longer.
"While this adds some extra friction to those who just want to retweet, we hope it encourages everyone not only to consider why they are amplifying a Tweet, but also to increase the likelihood that people will add their thoughts, reactions and perspectives to the Tweet. conversation, "Twitter said of the change, which some users may see on Twitter for the Web starting Friday.
Twitter has been experiencing changes that add friction to the platform in recent months. Last month, the company announced it would roll out a test feature that required users to click a link before retweeting it to the platform at large. The shift marks a major shift in thinking for social platforms, which has grown aggressively by prioritizing engagement over all other measures.
The company has also clarified its policy on election results and now a candidate for office "cannot claim an election victory before being called authoritatively." Twitter will look to state election officials or expected results from at least two national news sources to make this decision.
Twitter has stopped saying it will remove those posts, but said it will add a misleading information label that directs users to its hub for election-controlled information to any content claiming an untimely victory. The company plans to remove all tweets "intended to incite to interfere with the election process or with the implementation of election results," including those that incite violence.
Next week, Twitter will also roll out new restrictions on the misleading tweets it labels, showing users a pop-up prompt pointing to credible information when they view the tweet. Twitter applies these labels to tweets that spread disinformation about COVID-19, elections and voting, and anything containing manipulated media, such as deepfakes or otherwise misleading edited videos.
The company will also take additional measures against misleading tweets that get a label when they come from a US political figure, candidate, or campaign. To see a tweet with one of its tags, a user will need to tap on an alert. Tagged tweets will have likes, regular retweets, and replies disabled.
These new measures will also apply to tweets tagged by anyone with more than 100,000 followers or to tweets that are gaining viral traction. "We expect this to further reduce the visibility of misleading information and encourage people to reconsider whether they want to amplify these Tweets," Twitter said in its announcement.
Twitter will also disable timeline recommendations in an attempt to "slow down" the speed at which tweets can reach people from accounts they don't follow. The company calls the decision a "useful sacrifice to encourage more thoughtful and explicit amplification." The company will also only allow trending content that is provided with additional context to be displayed on the "for you" recommendations tab in an effort to slow the spread of misinformation.
The company acknowledges it plays a "critical role" in securing US elections, adding that it has built dedicated teams to monitor the platform and "respond quickly" on election night and in the potentially uncertain period of time until authoritative election results. am I clear.
