SOCIAL media company, Twitter, says it is testing a new tag that will make it easier to answer the question of who started a thread and helps fight the incidence of impersonation on the network.
Sara Haider, Twitter’s Director of Product Management, said in a statement that
“Twitter’s idea is to serve the public conversation.”
“As part of this work, we’re exploring adding more context to discussions by highlighting relevant
replies – like those from the original Tweeter,” she said
“This new tag is already popping out for some users.”
With this improvement, Haider explained that users would be able to easily trace posts to the original tweeter within a thread, addressing the issue of impersonation on the platform, as users will now be able to differentiate between real accounts and false accounts.
She said that the tag has been tested by a “small percentage” of iOS and Android users across
markets.
One unpleasant experience encountered by users of Twitter and other social media is the issue of false handles. Tweeter’s new tag will solve the problem of users having to read every character of a user’s handle to be able to decipher which is original and if the information shared is accurate.
This solution, by tagging “Original Tweeter” underneath a person’s handle simply helps users to identify the actual person who owns a tweet in a particular thread they are viewing.
Pope Francis of Argentina, in commemoration of the World Day of Social Communications, has vehemently condemned the trend of false information on social networks, which he described as “disinformation and manipulation of personal data”.
He further said that “We need to recognise how social networks, on the one hand, help us to better connect, rediscover, and assist one another, but on the other, lend themselves to the manipulation of personal data, aimed at obtaining political or economic advantages, without due respect for the person and his or her rights.”