Cornonvirus: Twitter to label tweets containing misinformation about Covid vaccines
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The move is designed to strengthen the social network’s existing coronavirus guidance, which has led to the removal of more than 8,400 tweets and challenged 11.5 million accounts worldwide.
Labels providing additional context are already attached to tweets with disputed information about the pandemic, but this is the first time the firm has focused on posts about vaccines specifically.
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Hide AdIt comes amid ongoing concern about the spread of anti-vaccination material on social media.
In a further effort, the tech giant said it is also starting a strike system that “determines when further enforcement action is necessary”.
Labels will be enforced by humans only to begin with, which will help automated systems pick up on violating content going forward.
Users will be given a chance on their first strike.
Two strikes will lead to a 12-hour account lock, with a further 12 hours added for a third offence.
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Hide AdA seven-day account lock will be imposed after four strikes, followed by a permanent suspension for five or more strikes.
Last week, Twitter announced it will soon introduce a new feature allowing its users to charge people for their content.
Twitter accounts will be able to create exclusive content which will only be available to those who ‘Super Follow’ and pay to access it.
The feature is anticipated to go live later this year, with account holders expected to charge for additional content such as videos, newsletters, photos and discounts.
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