Twitter said Thursday it's expanding a pilot project that allows users to add context to misleading tweets.
As part of a project known as Birdwatch, users can add "notes" to tweets that contain false information. Twitter said a "small (and randomized)" group of users in the US will see these notes on tweets and be able to rate if they're helpful. About 10,000 people have contributed to the pilot, which was launched more than a year ago, the company said.
The expansion of the project is an example of how social networks are experimenting with ways to combat the spread of misinformation, a long-standing problem that's become a bigger concern after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. From fake profiles to misleading videos, social networks have struggled to stop a flood of lies before they go viral.
While the idea of crowdsourcing isn't new, it's not entirely clear how well Twitter's Birdwatch program has been working. Poynter, which analyzed more than 2,600 notes from Birdwatch and reviewed 8,200 ratings, said in February 2021 it found that less than half of Birdwatch users cited a source and many of the notes included partisan rhetoric. Twitter said Wednesday that the "vast majority" of notes that appear on tweets cite sources. In November, Twitter started allowing users to add notes without providing their name. Twitter said the anonymity is meant to help protect people from harassment and could potentially reduce polarization. The move, though, also makes it tougher to vet a...
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