Twitter Is Building 'Birdwatch,' a System To Fight Misinformation By Adding More Context To Tweets (techcrunch.com) 42
Twitter is developing a new product called "Birdwatch," which the company confirms is an attempt at addressing misinformation across its platform by providing more context for tweets, in the form of notes. TechCrunch reports: Tweets can be added to "Birdwatch" -- meaning flagged for moderation -- from the tweet's drop-down menu, where other blocking and reporting tools are found today. A small binoculars icon will also appear on tweets published to the Twitter Timeline. When the button is clicked, users are directed to a screen where they can view the tweet's history of notes. Based on screenshots of Birdwatch unearthed through reverse engineering techniques, a new tab called "Birdwatch Notes" will be added to Twitter's sidebar navigation, alongside other existing features like Lists, Topics, Bookmarks and Moments. This section will allow you to keep track of your own contributions, aka your "Birdwatch Notes."
According to social media consultant Matt Navarra, who tweeted several more screenshots of the feature on mobile, Birdwatch allows users to attach notes to a tweet. These notes can be viewed when clicking on the binoculars button on the tweet itself. In other words, additional context about the statements made in the tweet would be open to the public. What's less clear is whether everyone on Twitter will be given access to annotate tweets with additional context, or whether this permission will require approval, or only be open to select users or fact checkers.
According to social media consultant Matt Navarra, who tweeted several more screenshots of the feature on mobile, Birdwatch allows users to attach notes to a tweet. These notes can be viewed when clicking on the binoculars button on the tweet itself. In other words, additional context about the statements made in the tweet would be open to the public. What's less clear is whether everyone on Twitter will be given access to annotate tweets with additional context, or whether this permission will require approval, or only be open to select users or fact checkers.
Coming soon (Score:4, Funny)
After continuously adding context to Tweets, Twitter eventually becomes indistinguishable from USA Today.
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It turns out that, if you have something to say that you can say in 280 characters, you really have nothing to say at all.
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The goal of this post is to create a cohesive strategy for awakening our people and eventually generating a modern European cultural renaissance. It is less of a nuts-and-bolts solution, and is more of an over-arching philosophy and lifestyle, an ethos for white nationalists to follow which will allow solutions to occur and to move us forward towards the results that we want. These ideas aren't necessarily things that I invented. I am attempting to synthesize, f
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It is impossible to add "context" to Twitter and USA Today as both are sewers filled with C*@P like the New York Times, and "The Atlantic", and CNN, and MSNBC, and NBC-Universal, and ABC-Disney, and CBS-whatever.
.
Fox News isn't there, but they seem to be heading in the direction of the sewer.
Bad Idea (Score:3)
I hate misinformation and falsehoods as much as the next person. I don't like it that people post falsehoods blatantly but are believed because they are "likeable" and good communicators who come across as genuine and authoritative. But how can something like this twitter proposal work? People won't trust it. Heck I won't trust it. Frankly the only way to fight misinformation from idiots is by non-idiots posting correct information and counteracting their BS at their level. It's annoying and unstable .. but the alternative .. "vetted"/suppressed speech is worse.
Trust me I rather be out tending my garden, making shit, taking a shit, or doing some sciencey stuff than dealing with trolls on slashdot. I think we can universally agree I only post 100% insightful comments on here, yet trolls tell me I'm wrong and mod me down. I am not happy with that, but I tolerate it. I rather dissenting opinion be out in the open. Stupdity isn't going away just by shutting it up or forcing it underground where it can gain even more credibility.
Re:Bad Idea (Score:5, Insightful)
This is just another social media company pretending that they are doing something to combat "misinformation" without actually doing anything.
If I write a letter to a newspaper or magazine, they are under no obligation to print it. The exact same principal applies to social media websites. If someone posts something that you think is wrong and you think they are doing it to be deliberately deceptive, then remove it. As a private company, they can remove anything they want, for any reason they want. They are under no obligation to publish the rantings of me or anyone else. It really is that simple.
But that is never going to happen. Content that is sensational, controversial and inflammatory attracts more viewers, and more viewers means more Shekels. And that is what this is really all about. These companies will *NEVER* do anything that reduces the flow of Shekels.
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Let me guess (Score:3)
fight disinformation across all social media platf (Score:2)
1. Change your email address to a one-time email service 2. Generate a strong password, copy it to the clipboard but do not save it 3. Chang your password using the contents of the clipboard. Clear the clipboard. 4. Log off 5. Congratulations, you are free from social media disinformation
The project was scrapped (Score:2)
after every feminist post was accompanied by info about shoes and menstrual bleeding changes.
Re:The project was scrapped (Score:4, Insightful)
after every feminist post was accompanied by info about shoes
I don't get it.
Tools for censorship (Score:3)
The problem with tools like this is that they are simply another tool for political censorship. Twitter needs to take care of the root problem of incredibly partisan enforcement of their rules first and foremost. The timing of the release of yet another tool that can be used to 'correct misinformation' in the weeks before the election is anything but a coincidence.
Stop letting big tech bureaucrats pick the winners of our elections.
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You call this a problem like that's not the specific aim they are trying to achieve.
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How can you avoid being partisan in this situation when one side literally lies constantly?
Re:Tools for censorship (Score:4, Insightful)
Yea. Like Trump never renounced "White Supremacist"? Or that Antifa is "Just and idea"? Or that we only see only "Peaceful protest"? Or the "Good people" quote? Like that?
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He certainly didn't do it during the debate, when he was *directly* asked if he would denounce it.
It seems that only in the aftermath of the criticism that he received afterwards for failing to do so during the debate did he appear to finally alter his resolve and decide to denounce it.
Maybe that was his opinion the whole time, and maybe not. If it was, why didn't he just say so during the debate?
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Here is a vid. 20 times Trump renounces WS. Starting in 2000. Who is lying?
https://streamable.com/sr9o2s [streamable.com]
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Trump literally when so far as to call white supremacists a disgrace to their family and their country, he called them terrorists and murderers who oppose everything America stands for, and the media not only didn't broadcast it they continued to actively lie about it and pretend he praised them instead.
Why would he play that game yet again after getting burned?
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Let me introduce you to the word monopoly. I'll let the FTC talk about it for you. It's not a matter of what I personally use, it's what society uses.
https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advic... [ftc.gov]
Banned for Coronavirus (Score:3, Interesting)
ZeroHedge was banned from Twitter for covering the coronavirus in JANUARY and imploring the international public health officials to go talk to the SARS chief at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
This was before Trump shut down flights from China and the Buzzfeed activist who was proximately responsible said he did it because he felt ZH is "pro-Trump" (ha, they hate everybody).
Twitter relented six months later when it became clear that early censorship likely killed hundreds of thousands of people. TDS-inspired censorship, no less.
So, no - there's never a time for an effective communications platform to censor speech or have the temerity to assume it's omniscient.
The Hubris, the Hubris. ~Conrad
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"ZeroHedge was banned from Twitter for covering the coronavirus in JANUARY and imploring the international public health officials to go talk to the SARS chief at the Wuhan Institute of Virology."
You're lying. ZeroHedge was banned for accusing a Chinese scientist of being responsible for SARS, publishing the scientist's name and address, and suggesting people go find him.
Re: Banned for Coronavirus (Score:1)
You forgot to mention that the scientist's info was already public knowledge, posted on another science related site with their knowledge. They were banned for posting someone's publicly available contact info. Be honest!
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So, his info was already available somewhere on the net.
I guess the part about accusing him of being responsible for SARS and go find him doesn't really matter then?
Attempt (Score:2)
>"which the company confirms is an attempt at addressing misinformation"
An attempt at THEIR deciding what is or is not misinformation. And based on what I have seen in the past, it is anything but. I would much rather they keep their hands out of such things. Of course, I try to pay no attention to Twitter at all.
So basically, Twitter just became reddit? (Score:2)
Birdshitting on the timeline (Score:1)
Will the author of the Tweet have the option of adding context to correct the misinformation added by uninformed Twitter employees pushing their own political bias? Is the added Birdshit going to tell us which Twitter employee is manipulating the author's Tweets?
Oh Good! (Score:2)
I don’t want to be guilty of wrong think!
Twitter Remains Trump's Propoganda Platform (Score:3)
Why not just call it... (Score:1)
2 can play (Score:2)
"Twitter Is Building 'Birdwatch,' a System To Fight Misinformation"
The competition is building "Birdfeeder" a System to Promote Misinformation.
Proper application of "Irony"? (Score:2)
Does a social media platform, built around the idea of sharing limited information at a time (whatever you can fit into 280(?) chars), having to "enhance" users' posts with more content in order to be a better platform qualify for the proper definition of "irony"?