Twitter announced Monday which will label tweets with potentially misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines and introduce a strike system that could lead to permanent account suspension.
The big picture: Technology companies are taking an increasingly aggressive stance against users trying to share misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines on their platforms.
- Facebook announced in February that it would crack down on misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.
- YouTube announced last October that it would remove videos with incorrect information about the COVID-19 vaccine. YouTube has a similar notice policy for accounts that violate its rules.
Details: The platform will start applying the labels on Monday, initially using human review and, eventually, also using automated tools.
- The labels may contain links to content curated for vaccines and official public health information.
- Individuals will be notified if their tweet results in a warning. Users will receive five warnings, and the level of punishment will range from no action to different account lockout durations until complete suspension. Users can submit resources.
What are they saying: “Our goal with these product interventions is to provide people with additional context and reliable information about COVID-19, “wrote the company in a blog post.
- “Through the use of the strike system, we hope to educate people about why certain content violates our rules, so that they have an opportunity to better consider their behavior and its impact on public conversations.”