As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread rapidly around the world, there has been increased discussions across online platforms, included various conspiracies.
One popular theory has linked 5G technology to the spread of COVID-19, leading to misinformation and fake news. Earlier this year, the conspiracy led to the burning of 5G towers.
In a bid to isolate and combat this misinformation, Twitter has began applying a label to tweets about COVID-19 and 5G, encouraging users to “get the facts” about the virus. Clicking through the label leads users to a page collecting sources refuting claims with links to pages such as the BBC and Snopes.
The fact-checking label is one of Twitter’s platform evolving interventions targeted at reducing the impact of fake information.
The labels offer Twitter users factual information on the 5G conspiracy theory in the context of COVID-19.