Twitter Launches Birdwatch to Fact Check Misinformation

Twitter has launched a pilot programme “Birdwatch” in the United States that let users flag tweets that they believe are misleading and write notes to provide context. The new program will have 1,00,000 Birdwatchers who are enrolled on a rolling basis and will not be paid.

Most social media companies are currently under pressure to combat misinformation on their various platforms including Twitter. The Birdwatch program will be a separate part of Twitter and only pilot participants, who apply directly for the programme, will write posts identifying and rebutting misinformation. According to the company, their notes will initially not be visible on Twitter for users outside of the pilot group but will be visible on the Birdwatch site.

Twitter said it ultimately expects to have between 1,000 and 1,00,000 Birdwatchers who are being admitted on a rolling basis and who will not be paid.

“Eventually we aim to make notes visible directly on Tweets for the global Twitter audience, when there is consensus from a broad and diverse set of contributors,” said Twitter Vice President of Product Keith Coleman in the blog post.