Twitter announced that it would label web links to Russian state media so users can identify reliable news sources.
The move to identify Russian propaganda arrives as misinformation regarding the Ukraine invasion has increased on social media and as Russia aims to censor several social media platforms within its borders.
“Today, we’re adding labels to Tweets that share links to Russian state-affiliated media websites and are taking steps to significantly reduce the circulation of this content on Twitter,” tweeted Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of site integrity, on Monday.
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Today, we’re adding labels to Tweets that share links to Russian state-affiliated media websites and are taking steps to significantly reduce the circulation of this content on Twitter.
We’ll roll out these labels to other state-affiliated media outlets in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/57Dycmn8lx
— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) February 28, 2022
Roth emphasized the pertinent role that social media has played in the coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “As people look for credible information on Twitter regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we understand and take our role seriously. Our product should make it easy to understand who’s behind the content you see, and what their motivations and intentions are,” Roth wrote.
Roth claims that Twitter has seen 45,000 tweets a day sharing Russian propaganda and noted that while official accounts owned by Russian officials are easily identifiable, the average user sharing a link to sites such as Sputnik or Russia Today may not realize that the Russian state runs the websites.
Roth said that these practices are drawing from what Twitter has learned through its management of COVID-19 misinformation and election results.
Twitter has made several gestures toward combating misinformation on its platform, including the incorporation of “Birdwatch,” which allows ordinary users to comment or provide context on relevant tweets.
Russia has taken significant action since the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday to censor social media in Russia. A Russian tech regulator announced on Friday that it was “partially censoring” Facebook due to the company’s decision to fact-check Russian outlets. Twitter also said that several Russian Twitter users reported that they had been restricted.
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Several users have begun spreading clips and images ostensibly from the war. However, many of these images and videos are from different conflicts or were falsified to appear as if they occurred in Ukraine for clicks.
Google, Facebook, and Twitter have cracked down on Russian state media, announcing that they will not allow Russian outlets to purchase ads on their platforms. Twitter also stated that it would halt the sale and display of advertisements in Russia and Ukraine.
