Twitter to add labels to some misleading Covid-19 tweets

Twitter will now label some misinformation related to Covid-19 that it deems confusing or misleading, increasing the likelihood that more tweets will be marked or taken down.

Twitter previously announced that it would remove coronavirus information posing a direct threat to user safety. The new label will apply to tweets that are “less severe,” but “where people may still be confused or misled,” the company said Monday in a blog post.

The tweets may be given a label that says, “some or all of the content shared in this tweet conflicts with guidance from public health experts regarding Covid-19.” Users will have an option to click for more information.

Twitter, like Facebook, has been trying to curb the spread of incorrect data and misleading material about the virus. Both companies are relying on public health authorities to determine when content may be misleading – a strategy meant to help them avoid making decisions about what medical advice may be true or false.