by Damjan Tutarkov
LaCorte News
Twitter this week announced a new feature to combat misinformation called “Birdwatch,” but the feature is already raising questions about fairness and impartiality.
The user-based content moderation tool, which Twitter said is still in its initial stages, would allow users whose accounts are linked to a real phone number and email address to review, discuss, and rate potentially false or misleading content.
“Birdwatch allows people to identify information in Tweets they believe is misleading and write notes that provide informative context,” Twitter Vice President of Product Keith Coleman wrote in a press release Friday. “We believe this approach has the potential to respond quickly when misleading information spreads, adding context that people trust and find valuable.”.
Coleman also wrote: “We want to invite anyone to sign up and participate in this program, and know that the broader and more diverse the group, the better Birdwatch will be at effectively addressing misinformation.”