Twitter updates & expands the Birdwatch program

Twitter has expanded the Birdwatch program to more users and has updated the tool with new improvements based on feedback from contributors, users, and academic researchers.

The Twitter Birdwatch program enables a group of users to provide context on Tweets that may contain misleading information. Contributors to the program can create notes to explain why they think a Tweet is misleading, and include correct information according to their knowledge, which would be visible to all users who see the Tweet. The users can also rate the quality of the notes.

The platform has expanded the visibility of Birdwatch notes to a select group of randomized users who would be able to see the notes directly on some Tweets, and rate notes, to help improve Birdwatch’s ability to add context that of different points of view.

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Before being visible on a Tweet, notes need to be rated enough by Birdwatch contributors from different perspectives, not demographics but their note history and how they've rated notes in the past.

Twitter states the following improvements have been made to the program based on feedback:

• Improving how Birdwatch identifies notes that a diverse set of people find helpful
• Doing more to protect contributors and rolling out auto-generated aliases for everyone in the pilot
• Helping participants understand the impact of their Birdwatch contributions by notifying them if their notes are rated helpful or if notes they rated are elevated
• Encouraging participants to include sources and clear explanations in their notes with in-app prompt reminders
• Improving the discoverability of notes that need a broader range of feedback by adding a personalized ‘Needs Your Help’ tab for pilot participants