Twitter working on recently-introduced misinformation labels for specificity
Shortly after being slapped with a non-compliance notice by the Delhi High Court, Twitter is back in the news, albeit for a new feature. The microblogging platform could soon introduce granular warning labels below relevant tweets to curb the spread of misinformation. These in-development features were spotted by the social media application researcher Jane Manchun Wong. Here's everything we know about them so far.
Wong has a track record of surprisingly accurate predictions
Earlier this year, Wong gave the world its first look at Twitter's Undo tweet button. The subsequent release of the Twitter Blue subscription (for the exact $2.99/month price that Wong predicted) speaks volumes about the credibility of her work. The latest feature was, meanwhile, buried in Twitter code and appears to expand the functionality of Twitter labels introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twitter is testing three variations of specific misinformation labels
The three new labels are called "Get the latest," "Stay Informed," and "Misleading". The three labels appear to be in ascending order of seriousness, as suggested by their blue, orange, and magenta icons respectively. All the labels are accompanied by a "Find out more" hyperlink. Note that Wong wrote the warning message for demonstration. She said Twitter intends to leave the label descriptions blank.
Jane Manchun Wong's tweet sharing her most recent find
Wong's misinformation labels also showcase Twitter's new Chirp typography
Additionally, Engadget pointed out that Wong's humorous tweets demonstrating the new misinformation labels seem to utilize Twitter's new typography called Chirp. The typeface is reportedly a part of the microblogging platform's ongoing branding efforts that strike a "balance between messy and sharp." The typography was first showcased by Twitter's Chief Marketing Officer and Head of People, Leslie Berland.
Specificity in warning/suggestion labels would be a welcome change
Although granular specificity on the new labels is appreciated, Twitter hasn't yet confirmed a timeline for its roll-out. Additionally, the parameters based on which the labels will be appended to tweets remain unclear. In India, meanwhile, Twitter has been slapped with a notice by the Delhi High Court after it marked tweets by ruling BJP leaders as "manipulated media".
