Twitter has announced that it is starting a test on Android that will ask some users if they have read an article if they are about to retweet it. If the device can detect the person has not opened the article within the Twitter app, it may display a prompt encouraging you to read before you share.
Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it. To help promote informed discussion, we’re testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven’t opened on Twitter, we may ask if you’d like to open it first.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) June 10, 2020
The company said this was to “promote informed discussion” and follows on from its ramping up of warnings and fact checks on tweets from the President and tweets linking 5G to coronavirus. With the 2020 Presidential election looming, it seems as though Twitter is doing its best to appear active in stopping the spread of misinformation.
But this is just a test, and not all eligible people will see the prompt even if they retweet without reading. Also given this is likely to be a push to stop misinformation spreading in the US, it is a test limited to Android in a nation where the majority of smartphones in use are iPhones.
Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.