Twitter have unveiled a new strategy for dealing with fake news in the run up to the US election.
Starting from Wednesday, October 28, users will be encouraged to “quote tweet” when they hit the retweet button, to demonstrate they have read the article they’re sharing.
While it will still be possible to retweet content without a comment (simply leave the comment space blank) Twitter hopes the new “friction” created will encourage users to think more carefully about the content they’re sharing.
Twitter is making extra efforts to avoid the spreading of fake news as the US election approaches
The move will also help prevent spam bots from mass retweeting fake news, which has been an issue in previous US elections.
While Twitter’s decision was welcomed in some quarters, the move caught many users off guard and led to complaints in the first few hours of the feature’s implementation.
Twitter has refused to back down so far though, calling for “growth” from users who are used to retweeting without having read content first.
Image Credit: CNN
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