London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

Twitter to trial letting users report posts for misinformation

Twitter to trial letting users report posts for misinformation

The move follows a wave of criticism of social media companies for facilitating the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twitter is introducing a new feature on a trial basis to test the ability for users to report misleading posts.

The move follows a wave of criticism of social media companies for facilitating the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Twitter currently allows users to report posts, the subsequent pop-up doesn't contain a field allowing users to report posts for misinformation.

Twitter's feature to report posts does not currently cover misinformation


The company says the test feature will be available to some users in Australia, South Korea and the United States from this week.

It will add an "It's misleading" option to the fields that appear when users attempt to report posts.

"We're assessing if this is an effective approach so we’re starting small," the company's safety account explained.

"We may not take action on and cannot respond to each report in the experiment, but your input will help us identify trends so that we can improve the speed and scale of our broader misinformation work."

Last year the company introduced a warning when users attempted to like a tweet which had been flagged as misleading.

The move came as the company attempted to address unsubstantiated claims from Donald Trump about the integrity of the 2020 US election.

Twitter had previously announced a crackdown on anyone posting "misleading" information about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Efforts by social media platforms to address misleading content have regularly provoked arguments that these moderation efforts are politically motivated.

Social media platforms are currently protected by a law passed in 1996, which means in most circumstances they are not liable for the content of their users' posts because they are a neutral platform rather than a publisher.

However, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act allows them to perform "good faith" content moderation - as a publisher would - without assuming the liability which publishers have.

But instances of this "good faith" moderation targeting then President Trump - especially Twitter fact-checking two of his tweets which falsely claimed postal votes were fraudulent, and hiding another which the company said glorified violence - ignited a row about this immunity.

Mr Trump, who persistently accused both traditional and social media of being biased against him, complained that social media platforms "totally silence conservative voices".

He promised to "close them down before we can ever allow this to happen", and subsequently signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to review Section 230.

The Department of Justice led by Attorney General William Barr unveiled its proposals for reform following that review ahead of the election of President Biden.

Although there is bipartisan agreement that the law needs to be updated and reformed, there is as yet no agreement about what an updated and reformed version of it should look like.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
×