Twitter to attach labels and warning messages to misleading COVID-19 info.

Twitter is planning to attach labels and warning messages to tweets that contain misleading information about COVID-19.

This follows the disinformation in a new conspiracy video about COVID-19 which has gone viral on Social Media. The video came from a well-known vaccine conspiracist, discredited scientist, and fired researcher-turned-book author.

The labels will direct users reading these tweets to external resources that offer additional information and context about the claims being made in the tweet.

Per the screenshots Twitter published, potentially misleading content will be labeled with a link that states ‘Get the facts about COVID-19’. Also, An icon with an exclamation mark in the circle will be in front of the link to draw the attention of users.

Secondly, the warnings will cover the tweet that needs an extra click to view the content. Some tweets may be labeled with a warning message, based on the tweet’s intensity to harm people or the type of misleading information it presents.

For instance, users who post tweets that conflict with Health expert’s guidance will find their tweets labeled with a warning. In this case, the tweet will be covered with a warning that states, ‘Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet conflicts with guidance from health experts regarding COVID-19. Learn more.’

However, users who wish to see these tweets can continue by clicking the “View” button next to the warning.

Twitter in an announcement stated, “Our teams are using and improving on internal systems to proactively monitor content related to COVID-19. These systems help ensure we’re not amplifying Tweets with these warnings or labels and detecting the high-visibility content quickly. Additionally, we’ll continue to rely on trusted partners to identify content that is likely to result in offline harm. Given the dynamic situation, we will prioritize review and labeling of content that could lead to increased exposure or transmission”.

These labels by Twitter have already been developed for labeling tweets containing fake and manipulated media such as “deep fake” videos.

Twitter said the system may evolve while new labels will be added.