Twitter is expanding its crowdsourced “disinformation” disclosure tool, Birdwatch, to 50 percent of all Twitter users in the US.
Gizmodo reports that Twitter is expanding its community-based “false information” service, Birdwatch, revealing it’s “for the people, by the people.” The service will now expand as Twitter prepares to include 50 percent of all US users; this means that in the coming days you will see notes added to tweets in your timeline written by Birdwatch members who provide additional information or context. .
(Vizier Krieziou/AP)
Starting this week, Twitter will welcome 1,000 new members per week for Birdwatch, adding to the nearly 15,000 users already participating in the feature. Contributors’ work will be more visible on their timelines, as Twitter aims to make the features available to 50 percent of all US users.
Birdwatch was released as a pilot product in 2021 and has been billed as a public strategy to curb what it describes as “false information” on Twitter. Members who remain anonymous can add notes that appear below tweets or link to external sources. Keith Coleman, Twitter’s VP of Products, recently revealed that the company has a wide array of disinformation policies that he hopes will help define and enforce Birdwatch.
“Is this really a trailer for a new TV show, or yes or no, which can answer questions. He may be talking about random Internet curiosities that pop up. For example, is there a giant void in space? Or is this bat really human-sized?” Coleman says, “This bat isn’t actually human-sized. The photo was taken from a funny angle, the bat is only a foot long, it may be large, but it’s smaller than human size. That’s why I learned from Birdwatch.”
The company says users are 15-35% more likely to like or retweet content with a visible Birdwatch note, which helps reduce misinformation on the platform.
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Source: Breitbart
