Misinformation: Twitter wants its users to report "misleading" messages

Twitter announced on Tuesday that it was testing a new tool to allow its users to report content potentially relevant to disinformation, a scourge that exploded during the pandemic.

Read also: Twitter offers rewards for detecting bias in its algorithms

"

We are testing a feature to allow you to report tweets that seem misleading, even when you see them,

" the social network said through its dedicated security account. A handful of users in the US, South Korea, and Australia can now select the 'this

is misleading

'

option

after clicking '

report tweet

'.

They will then have the choice between several categories: "

health

", "

political

" and "

other

".

"

We are evaluating if this is an effective approach so we are starting on a small scale,

" said the San Francisco-based company.

"

We will not react and cannot respond to every report during this experiment, but your contributions will help us identify trends in order to improve the speed and reach of our work on disinformation

."

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For Joe Biden, social networks "kill people" by letting circulate disinformation on vaccines

Less expensive techniques

Twitter, like Facebook and YouTube, is regularly criticized for not tackling disinformation enough. But the platform does not have the same resources as its neighbors in Silicon Valley, and therefore explores techniques that are less expensive than recruiting armies of moderators.

Over the years, and especially during the American election campaign and the pandemic, the social network has tightened its rules.

As of March, for example, users can be banned after five reminders about vaccine misinformation.

A system inspired by the one put in place regarding the elections, which notably led Twitter to ban former US President Donald Trump for repeated offenses such as incitement to violence and his messages discrediting the presidential ballot.

Moderators are responsible for determining which content violates the regulations, but the platform then indicated that it hoped to develop a system that is both human and automated to detect problematic messages.

Read also: Social networks remain ambiguous in the face of disinformation on vaccines

The issue of disinformation around Covid-19 and vaccines has grown to such proportions that in July US President Joe Biden even estimated that Facebook and other platforms

were

"

killing

" people by letting false information circulate about the disease. vaccination against Covid.

He reconsidered his remarks to specify that false information disseminated by users could "

harm those who listen to them

" and "

kill people

".

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