- Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) CEO Jack Dorsey has been responding to concerns about the fact-checking labels that were added to the social media service
Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) CEO Jack Dorsey has been responding to concerns about the fact-checking labels that were added to the social media service. Some of the critics of the new feature included President Donald Trump and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The fact-checking label was added to President Trump’s inaccurate tweets about mail-in ballots in California. President Trump responded to the changes by saying that social media services are corrupt. And Zuckerberg said that Facebook is not intended to be the “arbiter of truth of everything that people say online.”
Here is an example of the new fact-checking label being applied:
“The “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” links to a Twitter Events page about this news. The Twitter Events page about that fact-check contains the following bullet points:
– Trump falsely claimed that California will send mail-in ballots to “anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there.” In fact, only registered voters will receive ballots.
– Five states already vote entirely by mail and all states offer some form of mail-in absentee voting, according to NBC News.
In response to Zuckerberg’s comments, Dorsey said that it was not a goal of Twitter to be the “arbiter of truth.” In a series of tweets yesterday evening, Dorsey said that the fact-checking links added to tweets are intended to “connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves.” And Dorsey said that he is accountable for Twitter’s actions about the fact-check links and that the company employees should be kept out of this.
“More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions,” added Dorsey.
President Trump accused Twitter of interfering with the 2020 election and said that the company was “stifling free speech.”
The Twitter Safety account said that Trump’s tweets about mail-in ballots could confuse voters about what they would need to do for receiving a ballot and participating in the election.
“We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally,” explained Dorsey. “And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make.”
Dorsey also pointed that President Trump’s tweets specifically violated the company’s civic integrity policy.
“You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes. This includes posting or sharing content that may suppress participation or mislead people about when, where, or how to participate in a civic process,” says the policy. “The public conversation occurring on Twitter is never more important than during elections and other civic events. Any attempts to undermine the integrity of our service is antithetical to our fundamental rights and undermines the core tenets of freedom of expression, the value upon which our company is based.”
President Trump’s Executive Order Plans
President Trump is expected to order a review of a law that protected companies like Facebook and Twitter. The draft order is expected to direct federal agencies to modify the Section 230 law — which protects Internet companies from liability for content posted by users. And the draft order is also asking for a review of claims about “unfair or deceptive” practices by Facebook and Twitter. Plus the order is also calling on the government to reconsider advertising on those services.
The order is asking the FCC to determine whether actions related to the editing of content by social media companies should lead to the forfeiting of protections under Section 230. Legal experts believe that the draft order will have little effect on the law.
