Twitter Will Soon Start Showing a Warning If You Try to Like a Misleading Tweet
Ahead of the 2020 US Presidential Elections, micro blogging platform Twitter had launched a feature that showed a warning if a user tried to retweet a tweet marked as potentially containing misleading information. Twitter is now expanding that feature to show users a similar warning when they try to like a labelled tweet. Twitter announced the new feature on Monday and it is coming to the web and iOS this week, with the Android rollout in the coming weeks, Twitter told The Verge.
Twitter, in its announcement, said that the warning has reduced quote tweets of misleading information by 29 percent. "These prompts helped decrease Quote Tweets of misleading information by 29% so we're expanding them to show when you tap to like a labeled Tweet," Twitter said. The company hopes that putting a warning label while liking a misleading tweet will further reduce the spread of misinformation and prevent users from liking labelled tweets. The new feature comes as the micro-blogging's platform's latest effort towards curbing misinformation on the platform.
The warnings before retweeting a labelled tweet isn't the only restriction Twitter has put in place. Currently, when a user tries to share a retweet, Twitter opens a window to compose a quote tweet instead of directly retweeting it on the click of a button.
Twitter had last said that the warnings before retweeting labelled tweets and the changes to how users retweet will be in place until at least the end of election week in the US. While it has been about three weeks since US went to vote, the restrictions are still there on the platform, with plans to expand the functionality. It seems that these warnings will remain a part of Twitter for a while.
Giving context on why a labeled Tweet is misleading under our election, COVID-19, and synthetic and manipulated media rules is vital.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 23, 2020
These prompts helped decrease Quote Tweets of misleading information by 29% so we're expanding them to show when you tap to like a labeled Tweet. pic.twitter.com/WTK164nMfZ