January 26, 2021 10:13 PM PST
Republicans slam Twitter's crowdsourced fact-checking program 'Birdwatch
Republican lawmakers are raising questions about Twitter's new crowdsourced anti-misinformation feature called "Birdwatch," which allows users to add notes to tweets they believe are false in an attempt to "add context" for other users.To get more [url=https://www.shine.cn/tags/twitter/]twitter latest news[/url], you can visit shine news official website.
On Birdwatch, no account and no tweet is exempt from annotation, meaning users can "add context" to tweets posted by news outlets, reporters and elected officials.Birdwatch allows users to identify information in tweets that they believe are misleading or false, and write notes or notations to those tweets in a way they feel is providing "informative context."
Participants will be able to cite source material in their annotation, including from news outlets - meaning users can annotate one news outlet's tweets by citing other news outlets' tweets.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has been a leading voice in the Senate on the issue of Big Tech and free speech, slammed Twitter.
"Empowering self-proclaimed 'fact checkers' and leftist Silicon Valley billionaires to dictate what is 'misleading,' only confirms what the American people already know to be true: Big Tech is designating itself to be the sole arbiter of truth and is using its power to silence dissent," Cruz told Fox News.Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., commented that Twitter users currently have the ability fact-check others: "I thought that's what people already did on Twitter."
"I'm all for freedom of speech and expression," Johnson said. "I just wish Twitter was."House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer, R-Ky., raised questions as to whether Birdwatch could further silence conservatives and end up "stifling free speech."
"Twitter has long acted unilaterally to decide what content is and is not valid and factual," Comer told Fox News. "Only time will tell if Birdwatch is successful in having a positive impact on a platform known for silencing conservatives or if this community-driven effort will end up stifling free speech the way Twitter has done in the recent past."
Republicans slam Twitter's crowdsourced fact-checking program 'Birdwatch
Republican lawmakers are raising questions about Twitter's new crowdsourced anti-misinformation feature called "Birdwatch," which allows users to add notes to tweets they believe are false in an attempt to "add context" for other users.To get more [b][url=https://www.shine.cn/tags/twitter/]twitter latest news[/url][/b], you can visit shine news official website.
On Birdwatch, no account and no tweet is exempt from annotation, meaning users can "add context" to tweets posted by news outlets, reporters and elected officials.Birdwatch allows users to identify information in tweets that they believe are misleading or false, and write notes or notations to those tweets in a way they feel is providing "informative context."
Participants will be able to cite source material in their annotation, including from news outlets - meaning users can annotate one news outlet's tweets by citing other news outlets' tweets.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has been a leading voice in the Senate on the issue of Big Tech and free speech, slammed Twitter.
"Empowering self-proclaimed 'fact checkers' and leftist Silicon Valley billionaires to dictate what is 'misleading,' only confirms what the American people already know to be true: Big Tech is designating itself to be the sole arbiter of truth and is using its power to silence dissent," Cruz told Fox News.Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., commented that Twitter users currently have the ability fact-check others: "I thought that's what people already did on Twitter."
"I'm all for freedom of speech and expression," Johnson said. "I just wish Twitter was."House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer, R-Ky., raised questions as to whether Birdwatch could further silence conservatives and end up "stifling free speech."
"Twitter has long acted unilaterally to decide what content is and is not valid and factual," Comer told Fox News. "Only time will tell if Birdwatch is successful in having a positive impact on a platform known for silencing conservatives or if this community-driven effort will end up stifling free speech the way Twitter has done in the recent past."