Twitter launches new anti-fake news feature
Technology
An additional step before sharing an article with followers.
All Twitter fans know that it’s so easy to leave a tweet that it takes less than a second. Speed and simplicity that may tend to spread false information. Sharing articles can be a source of fierce debate, with answers that can sometimes be hateful. Twitter wants to reduce tensions and turn these heated and negative debates into constructive debates. To combat fake news sharing more effectively, the social network plans to introduce a new feature, informs us Tom’s Guide.
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To prevent users from sharing articles only with their titles without even taking the time to read them, Twitter will add a step before the user can share an article. In practice, if a user wants to share an article, the platform will ask them if they want to read it first. “To encourage informed discussions, we are testing a new kind of incentive on Android. If you retweet an article you haven’t opened on Twitter, we might ask it if you want to open it beforehand.”, announces the platform.
Sharing an article can trigger a conversation, so you can read it before you tweet it.
To encourage an informed discussion, we’ll test a new prompt on Android – if you retweet an article you haven’t opened on Twitter, we might ask them if you want to open it first.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) 10 June 2020
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Combating online misinformation and hatred
This feature is available to social network users in English, for now, and on Android. Although this feature is only an incentive, it allows some users who go too fast to read the information before sharing it. One way to remind you how important it is to review the content you share on social networks.
In the face of social media violence, there are already some applications to combat online harassment. And in the face of misinformation, Twitter is nams at first attempt. In late May, the Bluebird platform reported a message from Donald Trump calling the postal vote “fraudulent” (offering more information on the subject). A few days later, they again reported a tweet from the US president about “apology for violence.”
Read also – Twitter reports news of Donald Trump, he threatens to close social networks
