• News

Twitter introduces Birdwatch feature to crack down on misinformation

Twitter is looking to limit the spread of misinformation with its newest feature.

Donovan Erskine

January 25, 2021 11:00 AM

4

Social media has become a primary source of news and information in the digital age. With this being the case, the spread of blatant lies and misinformation has become a bigger and bigger issue on these platforms, especially in recent years. In an attempt to help thwart this, Twitter is introducing a new feature titled Birdwatch.

The Birdwatch feature was revealed via a post made to the @TwitterSupport account. The feature will begin rolling out today, and users can see the feature in action by visiting birdwatch.twitter.com. Described as “a community-driven approach to addressing misleading information,” Birdwatch allows users to add notes to a tweet, indicating false or partially-false information being shared. This is done by opening the dropdown menu on a tweet and selecting the “contribute to Birdwatch button.”

🐦 Today we’re introducing @Birdwatch, a community-driven approach to addressing misleading information. And we want your help. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/aYJILZ7iKB

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) January 25, 2021

A brief video was posted to provide an example of how Birdwatch will work. When a tweet has Birdwatch notes on it, there will be a tab that reads “see all notes on this tweet.” Twitter warns that in its early stages, some notes left by users will be more useful than others. To help iron out the issue, users will be able to rate the quality of notes attached to a given tweet, pushing them closer to the top.

Twitter, as well as other major social media platforms, have been heavily criticized for enabling the spread of misinformation, especially during a time of high social and political tension. This is clearly a move by Twitter in an attempt to address these concerns, but it’s yet to be seen how impactful it will be. Most recently, we saw Twitter ban Donald Trump from the platform, just weeks before he left the Presidential office. For more on Twitter, stick with us here at Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_