Twitter Expands Misinformation Reporting to More Countries

Twitter Expands Misinformation Reporting Feature to New Regions

Last August, Twitter launched a new functionality in several countries, including the United States. This feature empowered users to submit reports concerning misinformation encountered on the platform. Examples of such misinformation include false claims related to elections or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the company is broadening the availability of this tool as its testing phase progresses. Beyond the initial launch in the U.S., Australia, and South Korea, Twitter is extending the reporting option to users located in Brazil, Spain, and the Philippines.

Feature Traction and User Engagement

Twitter has also provided data regarding the feature’s initial impact. Over 3.7 million user reports have been submitted since the feature’s introduction. This figure provides context when considering Twitter’s user base.

As of its latest earnings report, Twitter boasts approximately 211 million monetizable active daily users. Of these, 37 million are based in the U.S., while 174 million reside in international markets.

How to Report Misinformation

In regions where the feature is active, users can report potentially misleading information by selecting the three-dot menu located in the upper-right corner of a tweet. They can then choose the “report tweet” option.

Following this, users will be presented with the option “it’s misleading,” which they can select to submit their report.

Improvements to Reporting Mechanisms

Previously, Twitter offered a method for reporting content that violated its policies. However, this existing system lacked a specific category for reporting misinformation.

Users were required to choose from broader options such as “it’s suspicious or spam” or “it’s abusive or harmful,” and then further specify the violation. This made reporting misinformation less direct.

Review Process and Prioritization

The new ability to flag tweets as misinformation provides a more streamlined way to report content that may not explicitly violate existing rules. These reports are integrated into Twitter’s existing enforcement procedures.

A combination of human review and automated moderation is utilized to determine appropriate action. Twitter has indicated that reported tweets will be prioritized for review based on factors like account follower count and engagement levels.

Context of Increased Scrutiny

This rollout occurs amidst growing pressure on social media networks to address the spread of misinformation on their platforms. Failure to do so could result in increased regulation and potential penalties.

Additional Efforts to Combat Misinformation

The misinformation flagging option is not Twitter’s sole initiative in this area. The company is also conducting a pilot program called Birdwatch.

Birdwatch aims to leverage crowdsourced fact-checking, allowing Twitter users to add factual notes to potentially misleading tweets. This service remains in a testing phase and is continually refined based on user feedback.