Twitter experimenting with new tool to label lies and misinformation

Twitter is experimenting with using colorful labels and other tools to respond to misinformation from political and public figures on its platform, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

In the potential version of Twitter, incorrect or misleading tweets from public figures would be corrected by fact-checkers and journalists who are verified on the platform. The company is also weighing whether to give similar abilities to users who participate in a “community reports” feature.

“We’re exploring a number of ways to address misinformation and provide more context for Tweets on Twitter. This is a design mockup for one option that would involve community feedback,” the Twitter spokesperson told The Hill.

“Misinformation is a critical issue and we will be testing many different ways to address it,” the company rep added.

NBC News first reported on the new features being considered in a demo shared with the outlet.

The Twitter spokesperson said that these particular features are only in early stages of research and there is no date set for a potential rollout.

The demo obtained by NBC includes tweets from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to illustrate how misleading tweets could be labeled.

Below the tweets are orange boxes saying that the content is “harmfully misleading” and a list of top reports contesting the claims in the tweets.

The new features being explored by Twitter come as pressure rises on the company to deal with misinformation on its platform, especially when that content is political.