Twitter Moves to Limit Spread of Misinformation in Crises

Twitter said it defines a crisis as a situation in which there is a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health or basic subsistence.

The company said it would determine whether claims are misleading through verification from multiple credible, publicly available sources, including evidence from conflict monitoring groups, humanitarian organizations, journalists and others.

Twitter and other social-media platforms have wrestled with how to limit abuse, rein in hate speech and slow the spread of false information, while facing criticism from lawmakers, users and advertisers that their efforts are too much or too little. Twitter has spent years trying to promote what it called healthier discourse on the platform.

Mr. Musk, the billionaire chief executive of

Tesla Inc.,

agreed to acquire Twitter in April in a deal valued at about $44 billion. He has said in tweets and in interviews that he wanted to take the company in a different direction and has argued that what he calls the website’s censorship is a particular problem.

A representative for Mr. Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yoel Roth,

Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, said in a blog post Thursday that if a claim on the platform is found to be misleading, Twitter won’t amplify or recommend that content, including in the home timeline as well as the search and explore features.

The company said it would also add warning notices to certain tweets, including those from high-profile accounts and accounts controlled by governments or state-affiliated media. On those tweets, users would have to click through the warning to view the tweet, and it won’t be able to be liked, retweeted or shared, Twitter said.

“While this first iteration is focused on international armed conflict, starting with the war in Ukraine, we plan to update and expand the policy to include additional forms of crisis,” Mr. Roth said. “The policy will supplement our existing work deployed during other global crises, such as in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and India.”

Mr. Musk has said that he has put his pursuit of the company “on hold,” citing concerns about fake accounts. Twitter’s board has said that it is proceeding with the transaction as agreed.

Twitter shares closed at $37.20 Thursday, up 1.2%. Mr. Musk agreed to acquire the company for $54.20 a share.

Write to Will Feuer at [email protected]