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Twitter tests labeling and correcting misleading tweets from politicians
Twitter is testing a new feature that -- if implemented -- will prominently flag misleading tweets from politicians and other public figures, according to NBC News. As seen below, the feature adds red and orange badges to tweets the company has deemed "harmfully misleading," followed by information from verified fact-checkers and journalists.
Twitter bans deepfakes that are 'likely to cause harm'
Twitter just released its new rules for handling synthetic and manipulated media. The company says you can no longer "deceptively share" deepfakes that are "likely to cause harm," and it may label Tweets containing deepfakes to help people understand what's real and what's been altered.
Jack Dorsey says Twitter ‘probably’ won’t get an edit button
Many Twitter users have long been clamoring for a tweet edit button to fix annoying little errors after blasting their missives to their followers. But after years of Twitter higher-ups musing the feature in public, CEO Jack Dorsey says "we'll probably never do it."
Twitter now lets everyone hide replies to their tweets
After months of testing, Twitter users everywhere will now have the ability to hide replies to their tweets. Rather than delete an inappropriate or offensive message forever, the new option allows you to curate the conversation. Other people can still see the responses to your tweets by tapping on the grey icon that appears after hiding a reply. The feature is available on both the main and Twitter Lite mobile apps, as well as on the web.
Porn bots are now storming Twitter's trending topics
Instagram isn't the only social media app being invaded by porn bots. Now they're on Twitter, too. For the past few days, as I was scrolling through Twitter's trending section, I noticed a number of accounts showing similar behavior as the bots that have taken over Instagram comments. But, whereas on Instagram they're leaving messages like "We gonna ignore the fact that I've GOT A HUGE BOOTY?" or "DON'T LOOK at my STORY, if you don't want to M A S T U R B A T E !" on Twitter the spam also includes pictures of women in bikinis and a bunch of words relevant to topics currently trending on Twitter. And they're even more brazen in their attempts to lure in gullible readers, with messages like "I moan very much during sex, if this does not scare you, call me on whatsapp."
Researchers find Twitter is good for amplifying lies
When it comes to spreading President Trump's false and misleading remarks, Twitter is a perfect storm. A study by Media Matters found that when tweeting about Trump's statements, major news outlets include false information 30 percent of the time. And 65 percent of the time, news outlets fail to provide corrections or context in the body of those tweets. That's especially troublesome given that so many people get their news via tweets and headlines and do not fully read most stories, where they might find more context.
AI-analyzed tweets could help Europe track floods
The European Commission's Joint Research Center is working on a tool that could use tweets and artificial intelligence to collect real-time data on floods. In a paper released on Arvix.org, EU scientists explain how their Social Media for Flood Risk (SMFR) prototype could help emergency responders better understand what's happening on the ground in flooded areas and determine what trouble spots might need immediate attention.
A week with Twitter's attempt at a more civil internet
Over the past few months, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has been adamant that one of his goals is to "increase the health of public conversation" on the site. Because it's no secret that, as great as Twitter is at connecting you with people across the world, it's also great at connecting you with bots, trolls and spam. Unsurprisingly, Twitter wants to change that. And it's hoping to find a solution by publicly testing new conversation features, through an experimental program that users can apply to participate in. This launched last week as an app called Twttr, which I've been using as my main tool for reading and writing tweets for the past week.
Twitter tests feature that lets you hide unwanted replies
Twitter already hides superfluous replies to your tweets, now it's toying with handing that power to the masses. Software engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who has a knack for discovering what social media apps are building, outed the user moderation feature in a tweet on Thursday. A Twitter senior product manager has since confirmed the function is in development. As shown in screenshots, the update effectively allows users to hide individual responses to their tweets via the menu icon at the top right of a reply. Meanwhile, those reading along can unlock the hidden posts by following the same steps.
Twitter may let us 'clarify' (but not edit) our old tweets
There are reasonable arguments for and against being able to edit tweets once they've been posted to Twitter dot com. Jack Dorsey doesn't necessarily want everyone to re-write their own history, but may allow us to re-contextualize our words in future. In a presentation at Goldman Sachs, the Twitter CEO said that he is looking at a way for users to clarify their previous statements.
This is what Twitter chat bubbles and status updates look like
Yesterday, Twitter revealed that it will launch a beta program to test new conversation features out in the open, and now the company's showing off what some of those changes may look like. At a CES 2019 press event, Twitter's VP of Product Keith Coleman shared a couple of screenshots of chat bubbles for threads/replies and status updates for when people are at a show like this one. The status updates Coleman teased on stage appear to be slightly different than those that popped up last year.
Twitter will test new conversation features out in the open
Twitter is launching a new program to let users reshape how conversations on its site look and feel, the company announced today in an interview with Engadget at CES 2019. The idea is for users to try out new organization and context features with their followers, such as the status updates and "ice breaker" tweets we saw being tested last year, which are designed to encourage people to talk to each other. Twitter is set to start testing the program in the coming weeks, and while anyone will be able to apply to join, only a few thousand users are actually going to get in.
Twitter's chronological timeline button is here to stay
Nearly two months ago, Twitter began testing a feature that made it easier for users to see the latest tweets on their feed first, rather than the ones pushed by the company's algorithm. It's a toggle dressed as a sparkle icon that lives above the home timeline, which keeps you from having to go deep into your Twitter settings to get that purely chronological view. Certain iOS users have had access to this since October, but today Twitter is making the change permanent and rolling it out to everyone on Apple's platform. Twitter's Android app as well as its website are getting the new magic button, too, but that won't be coming until after the holidays.
Twitter expands its reporting options for spam tweets and accounts
Until now, Twitter's reporting process has offered limited options for you to let the company's staff know exactly why you're flagging iffy tweets. That changed somewhat on Wednesday, as you can specify the type of spam you're drawing attention to when you report a tweet.
The Library of Congress will start limiting its Twitter archives in 2018
It doesn't seem odd anymore that governments might want to save Twitter archives for historical purposes, what with all the attention our president gets for his contributions to the platform. The UK has been saving tweets and YouTube videos as historic media since 2014, while our own Library of Congress made it a practice since 2010. Now, however, the folks who manage the Twitter archive at the Library of Congress have announced that as of January 1st, they will only save tweets "on a selective basis."
Why I kicked my morning Twitter habit
Up until a week ago, the first thing I did every morning after waking up was reach for the nightstand and grab my iPhone. Then, after hitting the snooze on the alarm a couple of times, I'd open Twitter or Instagram and scroll through my feeds for 10-15 minutes before getting ready for work. Once dressed and prepared to face another day, I'd walk to the train, hop on, take my phone out and check social media again. For 40 minutes, almost the entire length of my commute, I scrolled through people's posts for what felt like an eternity. Wash, rinse, repeat -- save for the weekends. And I imagine many people can relate.
National park tweets, then deletes, climate data after gag order
In the five days since he took office, President Trump has ordered multiple federal agencies to stop sharing news and updates directly with the American public. The gag orders have silenced federal entities like the EPA and the USDA by preventing them from announcing everything from grant awards to scientific breakthroughs made with taxpayer funds. But at least one person with the password to Badlands National Park's Twitter account attempted to take a stand today by tweeting out facts in the face of President Trump and his science-denying pick to lead the EPA.
Tweet emoji at Google, get directions to nearby tacos
Add emoji to the many languages Google can understand. Starting today, if you tweet an emoji at Google, the company's Twitter account will reply back with a link to a relevant local search result and a celebratory GIF.
Twitter now ranks your conversations based on who replies
Threaded conversations are some of the best interactions you can have on Twitter -- with dozens of users chattering away 140 characters at a time. Unless you're already in a conversation, however, it can be hard to tell if a tweet is getting a lot of social interaction. Now, it's a little easier: Twitter has added a reply counter and a 'conversation ranking' to its mobile apps designed to push the most relevant discussions to the top of a tweet thread.
Onehundredforty wants to sell you your tweets as arty posters
Tweets are usually forgotten quickly, replaced by the next thing-du-jour -- and frankly, most of us like it that way. However, a startup called Onehundredforty thinks that your succinct observations (or someone else's) can become permanent art posters for your home. "The average lifespan of a tweet is 18 minutes, then it's gone," the company says. "There's way too much magic happening out there to just let them die out in an archive, or even worse, disappear in a feed."
