Twitter has started to label tweets containing links to websites operated by Russia’s state media to help its users recognize efforts to sway public opinion, especially as it relates to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, without requiring them to engage with the linked content themselves.
The company said on Feb. 25 that it would be pausing ads in Russia and Ukraine, addressing efforts to spread misinformation, and monitoring high-profile accounts to “mitigate any attempts at a targeted takeover or manipulation.” Russia responded by blocking access to the platform.
Now it’s also introducing these labels for links to Russia’s state media outlets, as Twitter Head of Site Integrity Yoel Roth explains in a tweet:
Twitter says in a support article that similar labels were already used to identify the accounts of “certain official representatives of governments, state-affiliated media entities, and individuals closely associated with those entities.” Links to affiliated websites didn’t have that label, however.
“As people look for credible information on Twitter regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Roth says, “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 adds that Twitter has “seen more than 45,000 Tweets a day sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media outlets” since the invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24. Now those tweets will feature prominent labels warning Twitter users about potential biases in the linked articles.
