Twitter Not Planning Fake News ‘Button,’ Despite Previous Reports

Despite previous reports, Twitter is not considering adding a button designed to let users flag fake news.

The Washington Post Thursday ran a report detailing that the micro-blogging website had developed a “prototype” button that would allow users to report false or misleading news and/or information from the site. This prompted widespread concern that the button would be open to abuse, though it was never clear whether the feature would ultimately be released.

In a statement to Business Insider, a spokesperson for the company said that it has “no current plans to launch anything along the lines described.”

According to the spokesperson, Twitter is not currently building a fake news button, though another spokesperson previously told the Post that they would not comment on whether such a feature was indeed being tested. The spokesperson did not reply as to whether the social network giant has attempted to build such a feature in the past.

Internet and social media companies have been increasingly conscious of the spread of fake news stories in the months following the election.

On Thursday, Facebook announced that users will no longer be able to edit previews of links that they post, a feature that many believed allowed fake news sites to make their links appear more credible.

False and misleading news is an unfortunate consequence of an increasingly connected world. In a place where everyone is allowed to share whatever they want, it’s almost inevitable that fake news reverberates off the echo chambers of social media.

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